President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for the commencement of the Pullman Accra Airport City Project which is expected to become the country’s largest hospitality facility.
The project will create about 1,000 jobs at the construction phase and engage more than 500 workers at the operating phase.
Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony yesterday, President Akufo-Addo said the project would market the country as an exciting destination for leisure, conference, sports, health, and educational and cultural tourism.
The project, a mix of public policy and public-private investments, would be the highest Green-Rated building in Ghana, making it the second highest Green-Rated hotel in Africa, President Akufo-Addo said.
For the co-Chair of the Eminent Group of Advocates of the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this is certainly a welcome development, he said.
President Akufo-Addo said the government was a cheerleader for the private sector, adding that, over the course of the past 23 months, we are succeeding in putting in place measures and policy initiatives that are creating an enabling environment for the private sector to flourish.
He assured the private partners of the project, Inter-Afrique Holdings Ltd, of the government’s commitment to make Ghana the most attractive destination for investment.
“It is my expectation that they will be able to address these challenges satisfactorily, for they are all very competent in their domain.
“If it becomes necessary, which I hope it will not, to go higher up the chain of authority, I want you to know that my doors will always be open to you.
“I do, on the other hand, insist that, on your part, you play according to the rules and regulations of the sector and the country as a whole,” he said.
Pullman Accra Airport City is a joint development between equity partners: Inter-Afrique Holdings Ltd.; and the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF), the private sector focused sovereign wealth fund of Ghana with diversified interests in infrastructure and tourism.
The investing partner’s interests are held through Platinum Properties Limited as the Project SPV and asset owner. The partnership will lead to the opening of the 364-key hotel and serviced apartments, making it the largest hotel and the first dual hospitality offering in Ghana. The facility is set to open in 2021.
The development is managed by Inter-Afrique Properties Limited as development manager; Diagonal Projects Africa as project manager; with IBC Equity Partners as transaction advisor; and W Hospitality Limited as hotel consultant.
The groundbreaking event follows the signing of the Hotel Management Agreement between AccorHotels and Platinum Properties Limited on October 2, 2018.
BY YAW KYEI
