Felix Ofosu Kwakye, Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, has defended President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to use a private jet owned by his brother, businessman Ibrahim Mahama, for official international trips.
The minister, speaking on Top Story on Joy FM on Thursday, March 12 indicates that the decision was made due to the government’s inability to provide a reliable state aircraft for presidential travel.
He explained that President Mahama has been using his brother’s jet even before becoming President of Ghana. Rather than spending huge amounts of taxpayers’ money to rent expensive aircraft for official trips, the President decided to continue using the same plane while the government works to secure a new presidential aircraft.
The minister said the decision was aimed at saving the country money and questioned why the issue had become controversial. Kwakye added that concerns about conflict of interest would only arise if the government already had a functional aircraft that President Mahama ignored in favour of renting his brother’s plane at a cost to the state.
The minister also revealed that the existing presidential aircraft has been deemed unreliable by the Ghana Air Force. According to him, the military advised against its use due to security concerns and frequent technical faults. He added that even minor operations often require costly repairs.
However, the Member of Parliament for Walewale, Abdul Kabiru Tiah Mahama, criticised the arrangement, arguing that the repeated use of the president’s brother’s aircraft raises ethical concerns.
Kwakye, however, maintained that the arrangement is only a temporary measure until the government acquires a more reliable aircraft for presidential travel.