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Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu and lead convener of the ‘Hands Off Our Hotels Demonstration,’ has criticized the sale of a 60 percent stake in six hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT). He labels this move as a case of state capture orchestrated by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong.
In an interview on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, Ablakwa expressed his concerns about selling these viable hotels to a company struggling with tax obligations. He told Nii Larte Lartey that appointees of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been persistently trying to “convince Organised Labour to come along with the sale to Rock City Hotel, a hotel owned by Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong.”
Ablakwa argued that if the government genuinely intends to revive these hotels, it should appoint new management teams rather than transferring ownership through what he described as a sweetheart deal to a political ally.
“It doesn’t make sense that these iconic hotels, which have served us well, will be put up for sale. Labadi Beach Hotel is a cash cow. All you need to do is appoint new management and not put these hotels up for sale to be given to a political apparatchik,” Ablakwa stated.
He further emphasized that these hotels are viable and managed by experienced personnel, unlike Rock City Hotel. “Rock City Hotel, in terms of expertise and capacity, comes nowhere near to Labadi Beach Hotel, so why do you want to give the controlling stake to an individual in the face of the ILO’s warning that SSNIT will soon not be able to pay benefits?”
Ablakwa suggested that if SSNIT wanted to restructure a company, it should focus on STC, which is 80 percent government-owned and has been incurring losses, rather than selling off profitable assets.
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