Ghana’s Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, has strongly refuted allegations that Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang chartered a private jet for her return from the United Kingdom, instead shifting blame to the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration for failing to maintain the presidential jet, leaving it unserviceable.
In a statement shared via Facebook on Friday, 23 May 2025, Dr. Boamah accused the former Akufo-Addo government of neglecting the country’s official aircraft.
“Let the NPP that 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. Among others, its fuel tank is even corroded,” he declared.
He explained that the jet is currently grounded abroad, undergoing extensive repairs and maintenance, which he said was necessary due to years of poor upkeep by the previous government.
Dr. Boamah’s comments were in direct response to criticism from some NPP figures, including Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Member of Parliament for Old Tafo, who alleged that the Vice President, who had been on medically induced leave in the UK, used a chartered private flight to return to Ghana on Thursday, 22 May 2025.
Dismissing these accusations, Dr. Boamah argued that the Vice President had no alternative but to rely on the private charter because the presidential jet was simply not usable, a situation he attributed to the previous government’s lack of proper maintenance.
“The aircraft has been in a foreign facility for ‘maintenance, repair, and overhaul,’ and it could be restored to a ‘fairly usable state’ after approximately three months of what I would describe as ‘therapy,’” he elaborated.
Dr. Boamah made it clear that the presidential jet remains unfit for official travel, reinforcing his position that any reliance on alternate means stems from the inherited condition of the aircraft.
“The Presidential jet is unfit for use presently,” he concluded.
The issue has sparked heated debate, with critics questioning the cost implications of the Vice President’s travel while supporters argue that the current administration should not be blamed for the previous government’s failings.
As repairs continue on the presidential jet, Ghanaians are keenly watching developments, awaiting further updates on when the aircraft will be restored to service.
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