The protest organized by the Ghana Hotels Association to address the issue of high utility tariffs has been temporarily put on hold due to the police’s denial of protection for the demonstrators.
Originally, the Ghana Hotels Association had planned to stage a march through the streets of Accra as a means of voicing their concerns regarding the exorbitant utility tariffs.
Their primary objective was to bring attention to the escalating utility costs and communicate their grievances to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
The Association’s protest was prompted by a staggering 167% increase in water tariffs that occurred in February 2023, resulting in a substantial financial burden on various hotels across the region.
Despite their efforts to engage with the PURC and advocate for a re-evaluation of the tariff situation, their endeavours have not yielded any tangible outcomes.
The Association has therefore indicated that it would continue to negotiate with the police for a resolution as all they sought was a revision of utility tariffs and not make any violent demands.
It said members would resort to other means if the police refused them protection.
President of the Ghana Hotels Association, Dr Edward Ackah-Nyamike addressing the press indicated that “our particular issue is with the adjustment that was done in February that increased the tariff that is our focus and that has created debts for the hotels. So we want that one to be reversed to what it was. Reverse it first and then do the 8.3 per cent and if you can now talk about new rates, that’s a whole different ball game.
“Our focus is not on the new adjustment that is starting from the 1st even though that is a discussion for another day because it means that the rates are high. So either way there is an issue.”
