Mammy Yoko Hotel blames Port Authority for project delay
Freetown, Sept. 24 (SLENA) – The Management of Mammy Yoko Hotel has blamed the Sierra Leone Port Authority (SLPA) for the delay in the completion of the hotel as stipulated in the agreement between the Government of Sierra Leone and that of West Africa Holdings. (Photo: Members of Parliament and management of Mammy Yoko Hotel)
This was disclosed by the Deputy Manager of West African Holdings, Mr. Osman Jalloh last week during a visit to the hotel complex at Aberdeen by the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Tourism and Cultural Affairs.
Briefing committee members, Mr. Osman Jalloh said the rehabilitation of the hotel and other maintenance work on the complex was in progress and would be completed soon. He however noted that the bureaucracy involved in the process of getting their four containers out of the quay was delaying work on the hotel.
“We have done all in our power to remove the containers from the port but to no avail,” the deputy manager told the visiting parliamentarians, adding that in their agreement with the Government of Sierra Leone they were to have duty free concession at the quay but lamented that the National Revenue Authority (NRA) has been imposing on them GST tax which, according to him, violates the terms of the agreement.
Mr. Jalloh informed the committee that management has forwarded a series of complaints to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, including the Vice President, the Chief of Staff, and the Policy and Strategy Unit at State House.
He said all of them made promises to act on their complaints but no action has been taken to address the issue.
The General Manager of Radisson Blu, Nuno Neves informed the committee that they will be managing the hotel and rebrand its image, saying that presently all senior staff are working hard to see that the hotel kick starts it operations soonest.
The Chairman of the Committee on Tourism and Cultural Affairs in parliament, Hon. Frank Kposowa said as a committee they were on a familiarization tour of the facility and assured that issues highlighted will be looked into and addressed, accordingly.
On his part, the General Manager of Port Authority, Abu Bangura, while responding over the telephone, blamed the NRA for the problem and not the Port Authority.
The committee later visited the Bintumani Hotel, also at Aberdeen where they engaged both staff and management of the hotel.
SB/HOP/SLENA
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