In Ghana, Valentine’s Day, the annual festival celebrating romantic love, friendship and admiration, is celebrated as National Chocolate Day, with a line up of activities to highlight and promote the humble cacao pod – chocolate’s main ingredient which, of all the regions of the world, abounds in Ghana.
Every year, people send tokens of love and affection to partners, family and friends, sharing such gifts as chocolate or flowers and having meals in restaurants. Intrinsically linked with love, sensuality and even fertility, chocolate has always had a reputation as a mood enhancer, intertwined with romance. And all this is centred beans from the pods used in making chocolate, the country’s largest export.
Led by Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) and Cocobod, the ‘National Chocolate Week’ hosted a variety of activities – from exhibitions to a street float, to chocolate tastings with the goal to encourage cocoa consumption and promote national pride and unity.
Besides culinary battle between ladies’ clubs, visits to cocoa-growing communities and paediatric units of regional hospitals, there’s even an activation at Kotoka International Airport to educate the public on the nutritional benefits of chocolate.
Labadi Beach Hotel still in court
Management of Labadi Beach Hotel dismisses as misleading reports circulating that it has withdrawn its legal action against Polo Beach Club, insisting that the lawsuit against Spartan Ives Limited, operators of Polo Beach Club, remains active.
It will be recalled that Hotel Investments (Ghana) Limited, the hotel’s management, on June 3, 2024 filed a lawsuit against Spartan Ives Limited for allegedly trespassing on 0.54 acres of its land for Polo Beach Club’s operations and events.
On December 19, 2024, the court granted an interim injunction (ex-parte) preventing Spartan Ives Limited from:
•Using the disputed land for parking, event access or any other purpose.
•Operating Polo Beach Club on the contested property.
•Using the adjoining restricted beachfront in violation of Labadi Beach Hotel’s lease agreement.
However, according to the hotel, Spartan Ives Limited blatantly defied the clear-speaking orders of the honourable court and continued with its activities, leaving the hotel with no choice but to pursue other legal means to seek legal redress.
The hotel, in response to the defiance of Spartan Ives Limited, commenced contempt proceedings against Spartan Ives Limited and its Director, Kwaw Blay, by filing a contempt application on January 13, 2025 for allegedly disregarding the court’s interim injunction.
The contempt case is still pending because according to the Hotel, the Directors of Spartan Ives Limited are evading service. The court has scheduled the hearing of the contempt application for April 8, 2025.
On February 6, 2025, the hotel voluntarily withdrew its motion on notice for interlocutory injunction application with the liberty to reapply. The hotel stresses that this procedural move does not mean the case has been dismissed.
The Daily Guide reported on February 7 and February 10, 2025 that the court had struck out Labadi Beach Hotel’s case against Spartan Ives Limited, implying the hotel had conceded to the latter’s position. The hotel strongly denies this, stating:
- The court did not rule on the withdrawn injunction application’s merits.
- No arguments were presented by either party before the application was withdrawn.
- The main lawsuit remains ongoing, and the hotel is actively pursuing legal action.
Labadi Beach Hotel maintains that it will continue to seek legal remedies to halt what it describes as unlawful activities by Spartan Ives Limited.
The hotel urges the general public to disregard the Daily Guide’s report, calling it misleading, ill-motivated and inaccurate.
