Nkrumah's Meridian Hotel at Tema overtaken by filth, criminals

The Meridian Hotel, once a prestigious and iconic landmark at Tema, has now turned into a dump site and a den for criminals, as it lies in a state of decay and neglect.

The hotel, built in 1960 by the first president of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was one of the most sought-after hotels at the time and was a popular location for many dignitaries and tourists.

The iconic hotel was so popular that it inspired the famous Wulomei song Meridian.

Sadly, it has been abandoned for over two decades after it was closed down in the late 1990s.

A video shared on X by UTV captured the deplorable nature of the hotel’s environs as it has been taken over by filth and criminals.

Residents in the area have called on the government to demolish the building if there are no plans to revamp it.

According to them, they live in constant fear as the criminals who use the hotel as their place of abode threaten the lives of residents, especially at night.

“This building has been here from the days of Kwame Nkrumah. Over the years, this place has developed, and now we use it as a taxi rank. Because the place has been abandoned, we get criminals using the place as their hiding place. Just about yesterday, we heard of a theft case in the area. This morning, someone also went to steal, and it took us to prevent the mob from attacking him. Some other residents also use this place as their refuse dump.

“At night, this area becomes very risky,” he stated.

Another also stated that they have been having issues with some residents who have turned the place into their refuse dump.

According to him, the state of the refuse in the area requires the government’s assistance.

“We heard that the building was sold to some foreigners, but since we heard that, nobody has come to claim ownership. When we began using this place as a taxi rank, we had to clear this place up. But we cannot continue anymore, so we are asking the government to come and take over the building and demolish it,” he added.

Since the collapse of the hotel, governments have neglected the call by the residents of Tema to revamp it or collapse the building.

The Akufo-Addo government has made significant strides in the tourism industry since it assumed office in 2017.

In 2022, it allocated funds to upgrade some tourist sites across the country, but the once-famous hotel still stands abandoned.

Ghana’s leading digital news platform, GhanaWeb, in conjunction with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, is embarking on an aggressive campaign which is geared towards ensuring that parliament passes comprehensive legislation to guide organ harvesting, organ donation, and organ transplantation in the country.

Filth and Criminals Take Over Dilapidated Meridian Hotel in Tema #UTVGhana pic.twitter.com/CsC7wlxr7N

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) February 22, 2024