Franklin Cudjoe, the Founding President of IMANI Africa, stated that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has acted appropriately in its decision to sell its hotels.
He does not support the notion of government entities managing commercial enterprises in Ghana.
Concerning the sale of the hotels to Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong, Cudjoe indicated that he has yet to see any solid evidence that Acheampong misused public funds for business purposes.
His remarks come as North Tongu lawmaker Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa criticizes the decision to sell the hotel to Mr. Acheampong.
In a post on his Facebook page, Mr Cudjoe said “Frankly, SSNIT has done nothing wrong in divesting the hotels. Alternative sale values should be suggested by those who disagree. Finally, I am yet to hear any concrete proof that Bryan Acheampong stole public money to engage in any business. Those are the matters that really matter. I will never support any government entity to manage commercial enterprise in Ghana.”
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, challenged Ablakwa to provide evidence supporting his claims about Rock City Hotel’s financial status.
Acheampong stated that if Ablakwa could substantiate his claims, he would gift him his properties in East Legon and some of his hotels.
This challenge came after Ablakwa alleged that documents from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) showed Rock City Hotel Limited, owned by Acheampong and MP for Abetifi, was running at a loss and therefore unsuitable to purchase the profitable SSNIT hotels.
Acheampong vehemently denied these allegations, calling them baseless and false. “I heard Okudzeto claiming to have intercepted some documents from the GRA, but he has no such documents. There is nothing true in that statement; they are all lies,” Acheampong said to Nana Yaa Brefo on June 19.