The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah, has called on political leaders to stop the partisan debate over Ghana’s presidential aircraft and focus on finding a lasting solution.
Speaking on joyfm’s Morning Show on Monday, March 16, Mr Braimah said the discussion about the presidential jet has been clouded by politics for too long, making it difficult for the country to address the real issue.
“I think as a country, we just have to be bold to say, ‘Look, we’ve gotten to the point where we need a befitting aircraft for state officials who would have to travel for purposes of whatever is to the benefit of the state,’” he said.
According to him, the controversy surrounding the aircraft has largely been shaped by political narratives, particularly during the previous administration.
“I think the problem has been the politics about it. In the last regime, there was a lot of politics about the travels of the president,” he said.
He admitted that concerns about the cost of chartering private aircraft during the previous government were valid. However, he said that the situation was sometimes misrepresented in the public debate.
“Yes, we admit it was quite expensive, but the impression was created as though the president had deliberately decided to avoid a well-functioning aircraft that was in a pristine state and rather opted for expensive, luxurious chartered flights. I think the problem has been the politics,” he said.
He pointed out that not every country operates a presidential jet and that its leaders still manage to travel for official duties.
“I don’t think all the countries around us have presidential jets. Does it mean their presidents don’t travel? Their presidents do travel,” he said.
He admitted that concerns about the cost of chartering private aircraft during the previous government were valid. However, he said that the situation was sometimes misrepresented in the public debate.
“Yes, we admit it was quite expensive, but the impression was created as though the president had deliberately decided to avoid a well-functioning aircraft that was in a pristine state and rather opted for expensive, luxurious chartered flights. I think the problem has been the politics,” he said.
