President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated that his administration’s prohibition on first-class air travel for ministers and public sector appointees remains in full force, cautioning that strict sanctions will be imposed on anyone who breaches the directive.
Addressing participants at the 77th Annual New Year School and Conference at the University of Ghana, President Mahama used a personal experience to highlight the ongoing enforcement of the policy.
He recounted a recent flight to Dubai where a businessman he knew was the sole passenger seated in the first-class cabin. Flight attendants, he said, explained that government officials no longer occupy first class due to the standing directive issued by his administration.
“And so, all the ministers and public officers are at the back in business class,” the President remarked, noting that several chief executives and other public officials on the same flight were indeed seated in business class.
President Mahama stressed that the directive remains strictly applicable and warned that any official found travelling in first class — even at personal expense — would face sanctions.
The policy, introduced to promote fiscal discipline and the judicious use of public funds, limits government appointees to business-class travel for all official engagements.
