“Hands Off Our Hotels” Demonstration Underway

The “Hands Off Our Hotels” Demonstration is underway in the country’s capital, Accra.

The protest is against the planned divestiture of 60% of the stake in four hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Hotel- a business owned by current Minister for Food and Agriculture, Hon. Bryan Acheampong.

It was organized by the Minority Caucus in Parliament, the Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Federation of Labour, the United GaDangme Caucus, the Coalition of La Youth Associations, Ghana Action Network and Arise Ghana.

Protesters have begun converging at the Labadi Beach Hotel, one of the four hotels in question and the designated starting point of the protest.

They will match through La Palm Royal Beach Hotel and then to the Jubilee House where they will present a petition to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Protesters are clad in red shirts with some placards reading ‘Keep the Hotels for Workers’, ‘Our Hotels are not your Agyapadeɛ’, ‘Blay and Sons Return our Beach’, ‘Yɛ Twɛ n Dec 7’, ‘YabrɛMo’, etc.

The Minority Caucus in parliament in a statement ahead of the protest called the deal to transfer the stake to the Minister a “sweetheart deal” and “wanton cronyism”, “official corruption” and “state capture”.

“This adds to the long list of questionable arrangements which make Ghanaians wonder whether members of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government are committed to improving the lot of the people or only see political power as an avenue to enrich themselves by grabbing state-owned businesses and strategic state assets for themselves.”

It, therefore, urged the public to join and register their displeasure at the deal.