Business News of Sunday, 23 June 2024

Source: classfmonline.com

SSNIT hotels saga: Akufo-Addo meets organized labour on June 25

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

In the wake of the "Hands Off Our Hotel" demonstration, President Akufo-Addo has scheduled a meeting with Organised Labour for Tuesday, June 25, 2024, to address the contentious sale of SSNIT hotels.

This development was disclosed by the North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, during an interview on TV3’s KeyPoints on Saturday, June 22.

"Organised Labour has informed me that the President has invited them to a meeting on the 25th of this month, which is Tuesday," Mr. Ablakwa revealed, expressing his hope that the meeting will not be an attempt to persuade Organised Labour to retreat from their opposition to the sale.

Mr. Ablakwa voiced his frustration, stating, "I’m so disappointed in this President that he has taken so long to intervene in this scandalous matter and just stop this rot."

The President’s invitation comes amid growing concerns about SSNIT's decision to sell 60 percent of its stake in several hotels, including Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Beach Hotel, Ridge Royal Hotel, and Busua Beach Hotel, to Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong.

This issue gained prominence following revelations by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who led a "Hands Off Our Hotels" demonstration on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, to present a petition to the President urging him to halt the sale.

Mr. Ablakwa raised alarms about the suitability of Rock City Hotels, owned by Bryan Acheampong and the intended buyer, claiming the company is currently incurring losses and is unfit to manage the other hotels. He alleged that documents intercepted from the Ghana Revenue Authority showed that Rock City did not file its tax returns for 2022.

In response, Bryan Acheampong refuted these allegations and challenged Ablakwa to produce the supposed documents intercepted from the GRA.