Hotels cry over gov’t delay in disbursing COVID-19 stimulus package

The Ghana Hotels Association has bemoaned the delay in the disbursement of the government’s COVID-19 stimulus package for its members.

President of the Association, Edward Ackah Nyameke told Accra-based Starr FM that hotels are not in the position to handle the large number of travellers who will come into the country following the reopening of the Kotoka International Airport.

“As we speak, I can tell you on authority that none of our upmarket hotels has received any loans. We haven’t received any support and most of our staff are on temporary layoff. We do need the stimulus package even though Kotoka International Airport has been opened but six months into the pandemic, we haven’t received any support and we’ve survived so we’ll find ways to survive,” he said in the interview.

Ghana’s hospitality industry, particularly hotels received the heaviest blow as the government announced a ban on conferences and the closure of borders in March.

But with the airports opened. Business is expected to slowly pick up.

President Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, May 19, 2020, launched the GH₵1 billion Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) Business Support Scheme, which is being provided by the government and selected participating banks to Micro, Small, and Medium-scale Enterprises (MSMEs) around the country.

At the launch of the program, he acknowledged that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) had ravaged a lot of economies around the world, and affected businesses, including MSMEs which had led to job losses and a decline in government revenues.

Out of the GH₵1.2 billion earmarked for the program, GH₵600 million of it was to be disbursed as soft loans to MSMEs, with up to a one-year moratorium and a two-year repayment period.

More than 200,000 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises are expected to benefit from the  Scheme.