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Tag: hotels

  • We will engage Organised Labour on hotels sale – SSNIT Boss

    We will engage Organised Labour on hotels sale – SSNIT Boss

    Director-General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Kofi Bosompem Osafo-Maafo, has assured Organised Labour of continued engagement following the recent decision to terminate the sale of six hotels.

    This decision comes after Organised Labour’s threat of a nationwide strike if the sale proceeded.

    On Friday, July 12, 2024, Organised Labour issued an ultimatum demanding the termination of the hotel sale, which led to the Board Chairman of SSNIT, Elizabeth Ohene, announcing the abrogation of the decision.

    Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM on Monday, July 15, 2024, Mr. Osafo-Maafo explained that the termination was necessary to prevent the strike and ensure constructive dialogue with Organised Labour.

    “My message to Organised Labour is that the management and board of the Trust will continue to work very hard to manage the assets that we are responsible for very prudently. We are listening and we will continue to engage. That is the main point,” he stated.

    Mr. Osafo-Maafo emphasized SSNIT’s commitment to managing its assets and risks prudently to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Trust.

    He noted that the decision to terminate the sale followed significant objections from stakeholders, including unfavourable payment terms proposed by Rock City Hotel, one of the prospective buyers.

    “We listened to the objections from the stakeholders and decided to terminate the process. If you remember, when we had the press conference, we said we would engage all the stakeholders, and we have been doing that since then. The unions have also been vociferous, and we listened to their demands and decided to terminate the process,” he added.

    Mr. Osafo-Maafo also highlighted that the SSNIT management and board had concerns about the payment terms proposed by Rock City Limited, which contributed to the decision to halt the sale.

    “We went into a negotiation process; it was the management and board of SSNIT that rejected the terms of payment… The terms of payment were the subject of the negotiation, and therefore we sought to continue the negotiation to reach a solution that was acceptable,” he explained.

    He further clarified that the process of divesting SSNIT’s shares in the hotels began as far back as 2010, under previous boards and managements, not his tenure.

    “We don’t think that we left it too late; there were businesses that we have had since 2010. This process started as far back as 2010, when the board invited investors, and then in 2017, and then in 2018 the board directed that we go in to find strategic investors, and the process traveled through to 2022,” he stated.

    In a related development, Organised Labour has suspended its strike action following the termination of the hotel sale.

    This decision was announced at a news conference by the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr. Yaw Baah, after an emergency meeting on Monday, July 15.

    The Ghana Medical Association confirmed the suspension in a statement, directing its members to return to post immediately.

    With the strike action called off, it is expected that normalcy will return to affected sectors, including healthcare and other public services.

  • Coming out of the hotels – Elizabeth Ohene writes

    Coming out of the hotels – Elizabeth Ohene writes

    When it comes to what subjects I write on in my column, it is often as the spirit moves me, always with the understanding that I am not the type of person to write on Ian Smith and Rhodesia on the day that three former heads of state are executed in Ghana.

    Sometimes I do choose to wait out the noise on some subjects and then get onto it when I can see a different path from what had been trodden bare.

    Four Mondays ago, I sent this message to the Editor of the Graphic: “I’m unable to write a column this week. All my instincts are to write about the brouhaha that has started about SSNIT and the hotels.

    Since I chair the SSNIT Board, I feel inhibited, not because I have nothing to say but because I am not clear in my mind about the rules and conventions on going public with Board matters.

    But then, I also don’t really want to write about any other subject and give the impression I am running away from the subject that is dominating discussions. So, I am afraid I am not offering a column this week.”

    I have now gone for three weeks without offering any script for the column, and I am thinking that my continuing silence might be interpreted as disrespect or guilt of whatever I am being accused of.

    Plus, last Friday, I went to the launch of a book, written by one of my favourite people and I really want to write about the book, and I can hardly launch myself back into the column without addressing the subject matter that took me off in the first place. So, here goes.

    When the Board I chair was inaugurated in August 2021, the Director-General I met often said that SSNIT was like the Black Stars in the sentiments of Ghanaians, all 34 million of us have a view on it and with SSNIT, he thought the widespread interest was legitimate because even if you don’t contribute to the scheme yourself, your uncle, or niece or friend does and their tomorrows are at stake. We both agreed that pension funds are sacred.
    Front page

    My constant refrain with my Board of Trustees is we should have at the back of our minds that every step we take and every decision we make, could end up on the front page of the Daily Graphic and we should be comfortable with the ensuing headline. I would then add my own personal credo that I had brought with me to the Board.

    We met lots of outstanding matters that had been unresolved for years. I announced at every opportunity that I was not prepared to kick any problem down the road for the next set of people to resolve.

    We would take decisions and try to resolve issues that come up. Maybe we would make some mistakes and if that is shown up, I would take responsibility, but I would not be paralysed into inaction by the fear of displeasing some people.

    I did not imagine that my theories would be played out so graphically and tested in real time so soon. I am afraid I have not followed, as keenly as I should have, the discussions that have been going on since the Honourable Member for North Tongu started his campaign against what he has variously described as the SSNIT Board and management’s disregard for due process, abuse of power, corruption, lack of transparency, deception, procurement breaches etc. etc. etc.
    Woodin father’s Day

    From what I can work out, there are a number of issues that are being raised about the decision to divest a 60 per cent stake in the shares of the six hotels owned by SSNIT: an ideological resistance to the idea of divesting shares in the hotels to a strategic investor, especially since some of the hotels are said to be profitable; the process through which the preferred bidder, Rock City Limited, was chosen, was corrupt; the owner of Rock City, Bryan Acheampong, is a Minister of State and should therefore not be able to bid for a state asset.

    There are other side issues that come up depending on who is talking and the person’s individual idiosyncrasies. I will not try to lay out the arguments here for the need to divest shares in the ownership of the hotels, I will simply say that I was persuaded by the decision that the SSNIT Board had taken back in 2018 and I determined to make it a reality.

    I am able to say with the utmost certainty that the process that led to the selection of Rock City as the Preferred Bidder was clean, above board and met every rule and regulation and can withstand every scrutiny.

    Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa claims to have God and Ghana on the side of his campaign, and I would hope all of God’s Angels and Ghana’s investigative agencies, temporal and spiritual, would examine the process and tell the world if they find any irregularity or trace of corrupt practice. Indeed, if they should find any evidence of corruption, I will assume and accept responsibility and expect to be prosecuted.
    Political colouration

    I accept that this being an election year, everything takes on a political colouration and Bryan Acheampong being the owner of Rock City is obviously the main reason the decibel level of the discussions has gone so high.

    By all means, let us have a discussion about a company belonging to a Minister of State winning an open, competitive bid, no matter how fairly; but surely that is a different argument from whether SSNIT can, or is allowed to find private sector investment for its hotels and any of its other wholly or majority-owned investments.

    Quite a number of things baffle me, but I will mention two: the suggestion that this was some secret thing being done that has been discovered and the sordid details are being exposed by a Member of Parliament and secondly, the suggestion that the President of the Republic, and by extension, the government took the decision and was in some way, in charge of the divestiture process of the shares in the hotels owned by SSNIT.

    If you want to do something in secret, it would be very strange to announce your intentions with advertisements in the Daily Graphic, the Ghanaian Times and the Economist. And yet, that is exactly what SSNIT did when its Board of Trustees took the decision to seek a strategic investor to take a 60 per cent stake in the six hotels it owns.

    The advertisements were followed by various public statements by SSNIT executives at various stages, once the process got going. Indeed, the last two times that SSNIT appeared before the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament, the subject of trying to find a strategic investor in the hotels came up and SSNIT was urged to hurry with the process and conclude what it was doing.
    Strategic investor

    So, one can safely say that some people in Parliament, at the very least, the members of the Public Accounts Committee were aware that SSNIT was seeking to divest 60 per cent of its stake in the hotels and the members did not sound like they thought it was such a terrible idea, nor that something untoward was going on.

    Suddenly, Ghanaians are being urged to think and believe that getting a strategic investor to take a stake in the hotels amounts to a sordid crime. I am at a total loss to understand how the President and the government got into this.

    Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa appears to know something I don’t. The Board of Trustees certainly did not go to get permission or even inform the President of the Republic or any Minister about the decision to seek a strategic investor to take a stake in the hotels.

    The Board did not need such permission, was not obliged to inform the government and did not do so. I have seen no evidence in the records of past Boards going to the government or the President to get permission to make an investment decision.

    The Board did not involve the President, nor the Minister, nor the government in the process. The Act that governs SSNIT makes no such provision and I had thought it was in everyone’s interest that the pension fund is kept away from government interference.

    Obviously, a demonstration is more sexy when it ends at Jubilee House, but I assure the Honourable Member for North Tongu he was out by a long shot.

  • Bryan Acheampong must be appointed as CEO of SSNIT hotels if found competent – Abraham Koomson

    Bryan Acheampong must be appointed as CEO of SSNIT hotels if found competent – Abraham Koomson

    Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour, Abraham Koomson, has strongly criticized the proposal to sell a 60% stake in four hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Hotel, owned by Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.

    Speaking on Joy FM’s Newsfile, Mr Koomson suggested that rather than selling these profitable state assets to Mr Acheampong, the government should consider appointing him to manage the hotels if he is found competent.

    “Why do you sell national assets? Why should we sell such hotels in these prime areas? For what? For how much?” he quizzed in anger.

    “If Bryan Acheampong has the capacity to run and operate the SSNIT hotels, why don’t we employ him? Instead of selling the hotels to him, he should be appointed as CEO to run the hotels for us,” he said on Saturday.

    Mr Koomson emphasized SSNIT’s financial stability, highlighting that the institution consistently receives contributions and does not face capital shortages.

    “SSNIT can’t complain about money because every month they need not go anywhere to go and look for a loan or whatever, the inflow from the contributions just comes in. If you are an employer and you default payment, you’d be in trouble. So SSNIT cannot complain of capital,” he argued.

    The labor leader stressed the ownership of SSNIT by workers, noting that the government does not contribute to the fund. He called for amendments to the National Pensions Act to safeguard workers’ assets.

    In an earlier interview with Joy News, Mr Abraham Koomson accused the Trade Union Congress (TUC) leadership of neglecting members’ interests and expressed reluctance to join them in meeting President Akufo-Addo to discuss this issue and other labor concerns.

    “I will not join them to meet the President because I suspect them,” he told Evans Mensah on PM Express.

    Despite SSNIT’s denial of any impropriety, TUC maintained that the sale must be halted for broader consultations.

    In May, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, exposed the deal and raised concerns about SSNIT selling 60% of its stake in the hotels to a government minister.

    Despite a petition to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) urging the president to halt the sale, the Ghana Federation of Labour alleges that SSNIT continues negotiations to sell its stake in Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Beach Hotel, Royal Ridge Hotel, and Busua Beach Hotel to Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City Hotel.

    Alongside his petition to CHRAJ for an investigation into the transaction, Mr. Ablakwa led a protest against the sale, gathering various stakeholders to petition the presidency to intervene and prevent the sale.

  • We are floating shares, not selling hotels – Govt clarifies sale of SSNIT hotels

    We are floating shares, not selling hotels – Govt clarifies sale of SSNIT hotels

    Spokesperson on Governance and Security for the government, Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, has provided clarity regarding the intentions of the President Akufo-Addo-led administration concerning the sale of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) hotels.

    During an appearance on Joy Prime’s Prime Morning show, he emphasized that the government aims to issue shares to enhance revenue and involve private sector expertise.

    Mr. Boakye-Danquah’s remarks come in response to mounting concerns from certain political critics, which prompted a protest led by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu.

    The demonstration, backed by organized labor and various civil society organizations, aimed to exert pressure on the government to halt the transaction.

    “Ghanaians must know that there is no sale of hotels; it is floating of shares. Stop misleading Ghanaians; we are not selling any hotel; it’s the floating of shares; 60% of the shares,” he stressed.

    The NPP spokesperson rebuffed allegations of “state capture” made by opposing parties, underscoring that the government’s plan to issue shares in state-owned hotels does not constitute capitalism.

    He further stated that the Minority’s claims are unfounded, attributing them to their misunderstanding of the decision’s true essence.

    “There is no ‘state capture’, unless, of course, the NDC does not understand what is going on with the investment of SSNIT; they should look at the investments of SSNIT in a value chain,” he told the host.

    He added that “the fact that Rock City has not made as much profit as they expected doesn’t mean that they cannot go ahead and purchase hotels; it doesn’t mean that the investment Rock City has made and the level of financial muscle they have will not give them the capacity to purchase more. The hotel industry is like the aircraft industry; it’s got its very peak season and its very low season.”

    In May, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, exposed the deal and voiced concerns over SSNIT’s decision to sell 60% of its stake in the hotels to a government minister.

    Despite calls from the Minority and a petition to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) urging the president to halt the hotel sale, the Ghana Federation of Labour has claimed that SSNIT is continuing negotiations to sell its stake in four hotels to Rock City Hotel, owned by Minister of Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.

  • LIVESTREAMING: Demo against sale of SSNIT hotels kicks off

    LIVESTREAMING: Demo against sale of SSNIT hotels kicks off

    Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for North Tongu, is leading a demonstration against the sale of four Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) hotels to Rock City Hotel Limited, owned by Ghana’s Minister of Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.

    The demonstration happening today, Tuesday, June 18, with the aim of compelling the president to prevent the sale of these hotels.

    Mr. Ablakwa confirmed during a news conference at the press centre on Monday, June 17, that all arrangements for the demonstration are complete. He emphasized the peaceful nature of the protest and warned that individuals attempting to incite chaos would be dealt with by the Ghana Police Service.

    He also mentioned that he anticipates officials from the presidency will meet the demonstrators and receive their petition for submission to the president. The demonstration is seen as crucial in ensuring that the sale does not proceed, with Mr. Ablakwa highlighting the urgency and significance of their cause.

  • Cancel the process immediately! – Organized labor to SSNIT on sale of stake in hotels

    Cancel the process immediately! – Organized labor to SSNIT on sale of stake in hotels

    The leadership of Ghana’s organized labor has urged the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to halt the proposed sale of its stake in six hotels.

    This appeal was made during a press briefing delivered by the Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr. Yaw Baah.

    Dr. Baah called on the minister responsible for pensions to instruct the Board of Trustees of SSNIT to immediately cease the process.

    He mentioned that union representatives on the Board of Trustees of SSNIT had informed the union leadership that they had jointly raised objections to the process.

    “SSNIT’s interests in six hotels should not be packaged and sold as if all the hotels were in the same financial situation. The original proposal for the sale of SSNIT’s interests in six hotels has now been reduced to four. We hold the view that this renders the whole process null and void.

    The proposed payment terms deviated from the original Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) based on the recommendation of the transaction advisor,” he stated.

    Dr. Baah also expressed concern that state assets might be sold to a Minister of State.

    The union responded to an accusation against the Trust, claiming that it was selling its stakes in six hotels to a company owned by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr. Bryan Acheampong.

    In a press statement, the Trust clarified that Rock City Hotel had presented the strongest technical and financial proposal among other interested companies.

    However, Dr. Baah criticized the Trust for allegedly failing to conduct proper due diligence in its attempt to sell its stakes to Rock City Hotel.

    “From all indications, it appears the process is going on, and in fact, they are even speeding it, and we do not think it is right. We do not think the regulations that guide the sale of state assets were followed. We do not think that the necessary due diligence was conducted. We cannot imagine that state property will be sold to a Minister of state,“ he said.

    He urged the minister responsible for pensions to take proactive measures to prevent the sale; otherwise, the union would be compelled to take action.

  • Earthquake recalls to mind 1960’s catastrophic Agadir tremor

    Earthquake recalls to mind 1960’s catastrophic Agadir tremor

    The earthquake that struck central Morocco had a magnitude of 6.8, making it the largest to strike the region since before 1900.

    But a lot of people were instantly brought back to mind the terrible earthquake that devastated Agadir in 1960.

    A third of the city’s inhabitants, or at least 12,000 people, were killed when the earthquake, which had a magnitude of 5.7 on the Richter scale, struck the southern Moroccan city on February 29. It continues to be the country’s deadliest earthquake in recorded history.

    Thousands of people were left buried beneath concrete and thousands of hotels, restaurants, stores, and the central market were devastated.

  • I made and provided fruit juice to hotels in Accra – Philipa Baafi

    I made and provided fruit juice to hotels in Accra – Philipa Baafi

    In addition to being a well-known gospel singer, Philipa Baafi, a medical assistant, said she has ventured into some businesses in the past.

    She said, “Let’s learn that when times are tough, you’ll be able to use your hands to work, even though I’m a musician, but I used to make fruit juice,” as she spoke with Amansan Krakye.

    “Even though I’m a star but I used to produce fruit juice on a large scale to supply and later on I was supplying them to some hotels,” she added on Property FM in Cape Coast.

    “I supplied fruit juice to some of the big hotels though I’m a star, someone might think that I’m just sitting idle thinking about getting a helper,” she continued as MyNewsGh.com sighted.

    Philipa Baafi stated “Even pieces of jewelry I used to import some of them into the country to supply and all that I want to say is do something else with the little funds you have”

  • Sex worker reveals how she receives used condoms from Labadi, other areas

    Sex worker reveals how she receives used condoms from Labadi, other areas

    It has emerged that other than offering their bodies for most often money, they also supply used condoms to those in need of it at fee.

    A sex worker, Sharon, in a feature yet to be aired by TV3, has provided details as to how she is able to sell used condoms to her clients.

    According to Sharon, her main source for used condoms are hotels set up in Accra. She has an agreement with the cleaners in these hotels who collect the used condoms and supply it at a fee.

    Labadi, she said, is where a chunk of the used condoms are from.

    She noted that running out of stock is not a thing she faces because she always receives the package even under bizarre deadlines.

    “If I call my hotel cleaners, before night falls, they can deliver about five or ten pieces of condoms containing sperm,” she is quoted to have said.

    In Ghana, the purchase of sperm is not surreal, however, the use of cleaners and the presence of an unauthorised merchant are novel.

    To get sperms, one can visit a health facility that deals with sperm donation. Men who donate their sperms are paid a lofty amount of money.

  • Liberia to reopen airport and hotels in a fortnight

    Liberian President George Weah says the country has made enough progress against the coronavirus to allow the reopening of the international airport and hotels in two weeks’ time.

    A state of emergency which is due to end next Tuesday will not be renewed.

    To date, 345 cases of the virus have been confirmed in Liberia, with 30 deaths.

    Due to very low levels of testing, the full extent of the disease is uncertain.

    Correspondents say although schools have shut and an overnight curfew is in place, most people have carried on with their lives as normal during the state of emergency, with markets still busy and shops open.

    Source: bbc.com