–By: Issah Olegor
The Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, has confirmed that Ghana’s official presidential aircraft, is currently unserviceable and undergoing extensive repairs due to prolonged neglect under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
The revelation has reignited debate over the use of chartered flights by high-ranking officials and the state of government property management.
The Defence Minister’s remarks were made in response to recent criticisms from Old Tafo Member of Parliament, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who shared a flight receipt on social media suggesting that Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang chartered a private jet from Farnborough, UK to Accra on May 22, 2025.
The MP’s post, captioned “Prof Jane Naana Agyeman’s chartered flight!!!”, drew swift backlash from government supporters and sparked national conversation.
In a firm rebuttal, Dr. Omane Boamah justified the Vice President’s reliance on a private aircraft, attributing it to the non-operational state of the presidential jet.
According to him, the Falcon has a severely corroded fuel tank and is currently undergoing a maintenance, repair, and overhaul process abroad.
The minister indicated that it would take at least three more months before the aircraft could return to a usable condition.
“Let the NPP, which suffered the most humiliating defeat in recent memory in both the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, know this: Akufo-Addo’s administration ran down the presidential jet,” the minister stated.
He further emphasised that the jet is presently “unfit for use,” blaming the deterioration on years of poor upkeep during former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s tenure.
The state of the presidential jet has been a contentious topic in Ghana for years.
During Akufo-Addo’s administration, the then-Minority in Parliament, led by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, persistently criticised the President’s preference for expensive chartered flights despite the availability of a presidential aircraft. Critics often pointed to this as emblematic of government extravagance.
Interestingly, the Falcon’s reliability has been questioned before.
During the early months of former President John Dramani Mahama’s administration, he also had to rely on private jets—including one reportedly owned by his brother, businessman Ibrahim Mahama—while the Falcon underwent repairs.
The government at the time pledged to restore and resume use of the official jet, which was eventually fulfilled. The same aircraft that was allegedly fixed is now said to be in a state of despair.
