The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) says it sought the urgent intervention of the National Security Council Secretariat to address persistent unlawful occupation, encroachment and unauthorised activities on the beachfront adjoining and directly in front of the Labadi Beach Hotel and the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel.
The position, contained in a statement issued by the Board of Trustees of the Trust, follows Friday’s demolition of structures along a section of the La beachfront, including the popular Polo Beach Club, carried out by personnel of the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, supported by the Ghana Police Service.
SSNIT said the two hotels form part of its investment portfolio and constitute significant national hospitality and tourism assets.
It said the Trust therefore has a fiduciary responsibility to safeguard the investments, preserve their value and ensure that they continue to generate sustainable returns for contributors and pensioners under the Basic National Social Security Scheme.
“These assets belong to the workers and pensioners of Ghana,” the statement said.
According to the Trust, the continued encroachment posed significant risks, including threats to the safety and security of hotel guests, employees, service providers and visitors; unauthorised access and proximity to sensitive guest and operational areas; and increased exposure to fire, sanitation, environmental and public-health hazards.
It further cited the deterioration of the beachfront, privacy and service standards expected of internationally recognised hospitality facilities; degradation of the coastal ecosystem resulting from construction activities on the beachfront and beach sand; and reputational damage to the hotels, SSNIT and Ghana’s tourism industry.
SSNIT added that the encroachment disrupted hotel operations and the guest beach experience, with adverse effects on patronage, revenue and overall financial performance, and raised the risk of further expansion of the encroachments, which could make the recovery of the affected lands “increasingly difficult and costly”.
“In view of the foregoing, SSNIT requested support from National Security to protect the assets belonging to Ghanaian workers,” the statement said.
Friday’s exercise generated public controversy, prompting the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations, Mr Stan Dogbe, to clarify that the action was not a flood mitigation exercise by the government’s task force but was carried out under the supervision of National Security at the request of the Labadi Beach Hotel.
He said the National Flood Mitigation Task Force was at the time working around the Kpeshie Lagoon, East Legon Boundary Road, Oyarifa and behind Mayfair Estates, and noted that the affected stretch should not be confused with the La Pleasure Beach.
Mr Dogbe, however, raised concerns about sanitation and security at what he described as unauthorised and unregulated commercial operations along the beach, saying such activities created serious sanitation concerns and could pose security risks.
The Member of Parliament for La Dade-Kotopon, Mrs Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, has questioned the exercise, saying she had previously been assured that structures around the Labadi Beach would not be demolished.
The affected beachfront is also the subject of an ownership dispute before the courts, with the operators of the Polo Beach Club having taken legal action involving the Labadi Beach Hotel and other parties over the contested land.
SSNIT said the beaches would be cleaned and restored to a safe and desirable state and would remain open to the public.
