According to him, "The last thing I want to do is, in the face of rising tomato prices, have my voice on the radio talking about hotels. I stayed away from it, but when the young man started spreading more lies, hoping that Ghanaians would believe him, we had to stop him in his tracks."
His comments come in response to a protest led by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
Ablakwa's protest aims to oppose Acheampong's purchase of the SSNIT hotels through Rock City Hotel Limited.
During a media briefing at the protest held at Labadi Beach Hotel, Ablakwa described the deal as part of a broader pattern of state asset misappropriation by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's government.
He noted that Labadi Beach Hotel, Ridge Royal, and other SSNIT hotels are profitable, while Rock City Hotel Limited has a history of consistent losses.
Ablakwa questioned Acheampong's claims of expertise in hotel management.
The price for a whole box of tomatoes imported from Burkina Faso decreased sharply from GH¢3,000 in Q2 2023 to GH¢1,700 in Q3 2023, representing a 43 percent drop, and has remained stable through January 2024.
Despite this, reflecting the Minister's concerns, tomato prices have surged, with four tomatoes costing as much as twenty cedis in some markets.