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Residents in the picturesque mountain towns of Kwahu are sceptical about the touted trickle-down effect of the Multi-million dollar Rock City Hotel and Resort constructed in Abetifi by the Minister of State in Charge of National Security Bryan Acheampong.
According to Mr. Acheampong in a statement sighted by Whatsup News, Rock City is being developed as a Hotel and Resort to be Africa’s biggest resort and the 50th worldwide with over 2,200 chalets and rooms.
However, some prominent indigenes of Kwahu who spoke to Whatsup News today, are extremely sceptical about the business sense of such a mega project in Kwahu, given the fact that apart from Easter holidays, the entire stretch of towns on the Kwahu Mountain become virtually ghost towns as residents go about their modest lifestyle.
Even though the Kwahu mountain range has one of the most expensive stretches of real estate in Ghana, many of its owners either live in Ghanaian cities or abroad. They often come home seasonally during Easter holidays to mark one week of Ghana’s biggest orthodox festival.
Hundreds of thousands of revellers troop to Kwahu every Ester, and for more than one week, the towns are choked with activities. However, this ends abruptly after Easter, and the town goes back to sleep with an ageing population and a predominantly subsistence farming populace.
This seasonal phenomenon of Kwahu has therefore raised questions about the potential profitability of Rock City. Critics surmise that Rock City may see an uncertain number of expatriate patrons and the super-rich, but no certainty yet.
Also, Whatsup News gathered that price during the last Easter holidays when the resort was partially opened, patrons quickly found out that services were extremely expensive.
The official feasibility studies of the future project is currently unknown but
Bryan Acheampong appears to be upbeat about the resort which he claims have been in the works for the past 11 years.
“Today, 10 November is exactly 11 years since we laid the foundation stone for the construction of Rock City. 11 years of extreme hard work conquering a difficult terrain. Even though we are partially opened for business, we are programmed to officially open the phase 1 which will comprise 608 rooms by November 2020 and complete phase 2 with 1,592 rooms and all other amenities and facilities by 2025,” read the statement reportedly emanating from Bryan Acheampong and circulated widely on social media.
The resort which is scheduled to officially open by November 2020 packed an incredible number of services and attractions, including a total of 2,700 rooms, World-Class Aquarium and water park, a Zoo, an 18 and 9-hole golf course, Cable Cars, shooting range, motorsports, etc. Meanwhile, Rock City will have to compete for space with similar nature resorts, safaris and Serengeti in Nigeria, Eastern and Southern Africa.