Ave Maria Resort Decries Series Of Intimidations From GHPA

A Board Member of Ave Maria Beach Resort in Tema, has accused the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), of intimidating the Resort over the past two years.

The Board Member, Charlotte Ntim, in a Citi News interview, also said the police offered little protection to the Resort and its staff during a recent attack by security personnel of GPHA.

Her comments came after at least 13 staff and two guests of the Resort were stranded on Saturday evening, after the security personnel from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) allegedly bulldozed portions of the entrance to the facility.

According to a Board Member, the Saturday night incident is one of many intimidation tactics by the Port's authorities to have the historic facility evacuated as part of its expansion project.

“The staff was not able to leave because a bulldozer together with two GPHA pickups and two private vehicles had come, threatened staff members, taken their phones, locked our security and effectively bulldozed the front of Ave Maria Resort. In late 2015, they blockaded the property with armed guards,” she narrated.

She added that: “we haven't found the police to be very effective. This is just based on the experience we had with them in 2015 as well. GPHA has quite a bit of clout in Tema so people are reluctant to go against them a lot of the time. So we haven't reported the matter to the Police.”

The Ave Maria Resort is said to have been recommended to be preserved by the Center of the World Committee, as it is viewed as great value for Ghana's tourism sector.

The Resort has a long heritage for hosting the likes of Ghana's First President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a regular patron, and Queen Elizabeth anytime she visited Ghana.

Meanwhile, efforts to reach the Tema Police and authorities of GPHA have proven futile.

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By: Caleb Kudah/citifmonline.com/Ghana