Organised Labour to stop sale of SSNIT hotels to Rock City

Graphic.com.gh May - 20 - 2024 , 18:35 3 minutes read

Organised Labour at a press conference in Accra on Monday said it was concerned about SSNIT's decision to sell it's 60% stake in four hotels to Rock City Hotel, owned by Bryan Acheampong, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, who is also the Member of Parliament for Abetifi.

Organised Labour has therefore urged the government to suspend the process.

The management of SSNIT in an explanation on why it is in a process to partner a strategic investor to raise capital to invest in its hotels, and also assist in their management has said, the Rock City Hotel Limited submitted the best and strongest technical and financial proposal among all the bids received

Bryan Acheampong the current Member of Parliament for Abetifi and Minister of Food and Agriculture is a director and beneficial owner of Rock City Hotel Limited, located at Kwahu in the Eastern Region.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu has questioned SSNIT's decision to partner Rock City.

He has subsequently gone to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) with a petition, to stop SSNIT from going ahead to partner Rock City.

Ablakwa's argument is that, Bryan Acheampong, as a minister of state, should not be allowed to use his Rock City Hotel to partner SSNIT.

It is his case that it is a matter that bothers on "conflict of interest, abuse of power, lack of due process, procurement breaches, cronyism, and graft."

"I have also drawn attention to blatant violations of Article 78(3) and 98(2) of the 1992 Constitution as diligent checks from Parliament's Committee on Office of Profit reveal that Hon. Bryan Acheampong has not applied and does not have the permission of the Speaker of Parliament to hold an office of profit," Ablakwa alleged.

Ablakwa last Friday [May 17, 2024] said he had petitioned CHRAJ to investigate and stop what he alleged was a "sale of SSNIT's hotels to Bryan Acheampong."

At a press conference in Accra on Monday, the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress, Dr Yaw Baah, said “the process is going on and in fact they are even speeding it up and we don’t think that is right."

“We do not think that the regulation that guides the sale of state assets was followed. We do not think that the necessary due diligence was done. we cannot imagine that state properties will be sold to a minister of state.”

“For us, it is state capture and that should be stopped and stopped immediately. And if the Minister for Pensions who is also the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations fails to stop SSNIT, we workers of Ghana, we own the funds, we will stop that process.”