President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo must make a commitment that he will not rent $ 18,000-an-hour plane for his trips outside Ghana again until he leaves office after the 2024 general elections, Former Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has said.
The accusation that Mr Akufo-Addo rented the $18,000 an hour ultra-luxury executive jet for his trip to the United States and London was made by North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The opposition lawmaker wrote on his Facebook page that “So, President Akufo-Addo left Accra for Washington on Thursday 31st March 2022 at 11:52 pm aboard a United Airlines Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with call sign UAL997. Before the President landed at 6:40 am at the Dulles International Airport in Washington on the 1st of April, the ubiquitous luxury LX-DIO had landed at the same airport the previous day at 12:27 pm waiting for President Akufo-Addo.
“President Akufo-Addo couldn’t wait to fly his favourite US$18,000 an hour LX-DIO from Washington where he departed at 10:13 am and arrived at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina at 11:22 am — a flight time of 01:09. It is important to acknowledge that there were more than a dozen available commercial flights with business class tickets not exceeding $700 in value.”
Dr Spio-Garbrah says if the president is really serious about dealing with the economic challenges then he should make the resolution not to rent this jet again.
He said this when asked for his view on the target of the government to achieve single-digit inflation by the end of this year from the current 23.2%, while speaking in a yet-to-be-aired interview with TV3’s Keminni Amanor.
The Finance Ministry has projected that the country will end the year on a single digit, what do you think about that? Keminni asked.
In his answer, he said “If the president tells us that before he leaves office he will never fly again in 18,000 dollar an hour plane, he hasn’t made that commitment, he should make it.
“Have you heard that the National Cathedral project has been canceled? If you hear that the National Cathedral project has been canceled then it means that the government is getting into a sensible environment and canceling projects that they know will never happen this year under this government. So cancel it openly and let us know it is canceled.”
Touching on the 24-hour economy idea of former President John Dramani Mahama, he said that 54 percent of Ghanaians believe that idea is the most remembered policy slogan any political party is talking about.
He believes that the idea will boost the local economy if implemented.
Mr Mahama proposed the ’24hr Economy‘ project when he met with officials of the country’s mother workers union, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, at the start of his engagement with key stakeholders in a quest to return to power.
He indicated that the idea was meant to create jobs for all Ghanaians.
Asked whether the NDC is selling this idea enough to Ghanaians Dr Spio-Grabrah, said “Over 54 per of Ghanaians believe that the 24-hour economy is the highest or the most remembered slogan or policy initiative of all the policy initiatives any political party is talking about today.”
The full interview airs on Sunday at 2 PM on TV3.