She said her investment, worth $10 million, is being destroyed without human face and recourse to the law.

[contextly_sidebar id=”rb4vOFzbwGpWR6iAPDybvvAX9JBmIrrx”]Beyond that, Mrs. Ntim lamented that, the long-standing conflict between the Resort and the GPHA, which may be linked to the ongoing Tema Port Expansion Project, was indicative of a country that doesn’t value heritage.

“Anywhere else, the place [Ave Maria Resort] will be held as a heritage place and it will be kept as such, but here, we don’t care. They have even destroyed the Meridian Rock… In Ghana we don’t want history,” she said.

There were reportedly two GPHA pickups, two private vehicles, and a bulldozer brought by some GPHA security personnel for the operation.

This Resort is said to have been recommended to be preserved by the Center of the World Committee, as it is viewed as having great value for Ghana’s tourism sector.

It has a long heritage for hosting the likes of Ghana’s First President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a regular patron, and Queen Elizabeth when she visited Ghana.

But on Sunday, the normally vibrant Resort had to turn back most of their customers after a huge trench was dug in front of the Resort by the bulldozer.

The incident on Saturday has left the place very quiet without the usual flow of business. As of the time Citi News visited, just a handful of customers were seen around.

Water supply and electricity supply were affected when the bulldozer came through and a landmark fountain was destroyed.

“Sunday is usually the busiest day of our business. We also have a wedding lunch and they booked long ago, but when this thing happened, I had to look for a low loader to make sure that at least there was access because we were cut off completely. You couldn’t come in with any vehicle,” Mrs. Ntim told Citi News.

She said they eventually managed to fill the trench created by the bulldozer, but before that, “all the usual guests who come in on Sunday to swim, have a massage and eat; they all had to turn away because they could not have access into the hotel.”

Police have since been to the scene to take some pictures to assess the situation, although they did not respond when they were called at the time of the incident.

‘Apology’ from GPHA Boss

Mrs. Ntim revealed that, the Director General of GPHA, Paul Ansah, came to the Resort “to apologize sort of” and to say that “he didn’t know anything about the operation.”

The GPHA is actually “a regular customer” of the Resort, as it was training the security staff of GPHA to swim, she also noted.

The tensions between the GPHA and the Resort date back to 2015, when Mrs. Ntim recounted that armed guards from the GPHA had been sent to the front of the Resort blocking them out.

There has subsequently been some legal tussle with the GPHA, to protect the investments made into the Resort.

“We’ve been in court with them since 2015. They want the place and our lawyers are saying that there is nothing in the lease to indicate that they could come in one day [and take the place]. After our investment, we knew we had [a lease for] 25 years, to be renewed for another 25 years,” she said.

Officials of the GPHA and the police in Tema, are yet to comment on the matter to Citi News.

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By:  Elvis Washington & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ghana doesn’t value history – Ave Maria Resort laments GPHA bulldozing appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking to Citi News, the MP noted that, Ghana has a stake in the MPS structure, but said he was privy to information indicating that “ the shares of the government of Ghana have been diluted.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”h7CcAuxipKgIZQI3q7Y8kHZtkgsZZLLI”]He further expressed fears that government could lose a lot of revenue if indeed the state’s shares in the venture have been diluted.

Mr. Boamah thus said he wants government “to take the necessary steps to call for a thorough forensic investigation into the circumstances leading to the dilution of the shares of Ghana in MPS.”

“I believe it is a prosperous venture, and the shareholding government, looking at the revenue that comes to the port will help the government achieve its objective under the Akufo-Addo administration.”

The MPS currently carries out key services in the country’s ports and harbour space including the Tema Port expansion project.

MPS dealings with Ghana

In 2004, the government of Ghana signed a contract with the Meridian Port Services Limited to run the Tema Port on a 20-year concession agreement.

The MPS is a joint venture between the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and Meridian Port Holdings Limited, which is in turn, a joint venture with Bolloré Group and APM Terminals – a subsidiary of Maersk – as the two main shareholders.

The joint venture share comprises Bolloré 35%; APM Terminals 35%; and Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority 30%.

As part of the concession agreement, MPS was to invest in the Tema Port, expand facilities and make it a productive national asset.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post MP calls for probe into MPS’ shareholding structure with Gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

An agreement has been reached between the Conference of Heads of Special Schools (COHESS) and two state agencies for the release of outstanding grants to ensure the reopening of the special schools next week.

Source: Graphic Online

The post Special schools to reopen next week appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.