Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul on Tuesday, December 14, 2021, confirmed to Parliament that consultations were underway for the purchase of a new Presidential Jet.
Justifying the decision by the government to activate purchase plans, he disclosed that the move was based purely on a request by the Ghana Air Force for a main (wide-body) jet to conduct government business.
He told lawmakers, that notwithstanding, the government was holding broad stakeholder consultations with among others, Parliament, Trades Union and religious bodies on the purchase.
Nitiwul disclosed further that he had contacted two manufacturers – Boeing and Airbus – and that they were able to deliver the jet in about three years, which means the current President will be out of office by the time it is delivered if an order is placed now.
“When I contacted both Boeing and Airbus, they told me that it would take about three years for them to be able to deliver a new aircraft to Ghana.
“What it simply means is that if I were to make a decision today and the Ghana Government was to have money for the Ministry of Defence to purchase an aircraft, the least time for the aircraft to arrive would be the first quarter of 2025. This current President would not sit in the aircraft as President….” he stated.
The Minister was answering a question posed by Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on plans for the purchase of the jet as announced by presidential spokesman Eugene Arhin in September and the government’s policy justification.
A GNA report stated that Nitiwul explained that the policy and strategy of the Ghana Air Force had been to maintain a minimum of two Fixed Wing Aircraft, consisting of a main (wide-body aircraft) and supporting aircraft, that were required to undertake thorough and effective Government business.
He said previously, the Ghana Air Force operated Fokker 28 Executive Jet as the main aircraft and Fokker 27 as the supporting aircraft until 2010 when both aircraft were decommissioned.
The Defence Minister said currently, the Ghana Air Force had the supporting aircraft, the Falcon 900 Executive Jet, but lacked the main wide-body aircraft for all Government Business.
“Mr Speaker, in the absence of the main body aircraft, the Ghana Air Force has been temporarily using the CASA 295 to fill in for the shortfalls and gaps created by non-availability of the specific aircraft designed for this task,” Mr Nitiwul stated.
Source: Ghanaweb
