Minister of Food and Agriculture and owner of Rock City Hotel, Dr. Bryan Acheampong, has denied claims made against the financial viability of his hotel.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, had earlier claimed that Rock City Hotel, which has been in talks to purchase a 60% stake in four SSNIT hotels, was not profitable enough to move ahead with the transaction.
The hotels involved are Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, Ridge Royal Hotel, Busua Beach Resort, and Trust Lodge Hotel.
But Bryan Acheampong, responding to the claims, affirmed that Rock City Hotel has a strong financial standing and the ability to make the acquisition.
“…It (Rock City Hotel) grows on the back of the investors. It grows on the back of the stakeholders and whatever we can leverage to grow…Look at the document that was presented to SSNIT. They have more than the capacity to enter into the transaction and more than the capacity to do so. Much more than the capacity,” Bryan Acheampong said in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM.
“I mean, this is the company that currently has 1000 rooms here in Kwahu. 1000 rooms. And in two or three years, they will add another 2000 rooms. This is the biggest hotel in Africa,” he added.
The announcement of the sale has sparked widespread condemnation from a section of the public which led to a petition from MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), requesting an investigation into the sale, particularly involving the Minister of State and Member of Parliament.
On June 18, 2024, a number of groups embarked on the ‘Hands Off Our Hotels’ demonstration seeking to demand that President Akufo-Addo immediately halts the ongoing sale of a 60% stake in six hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Group.
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Source: www.ghanaweb.com