Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, has revealed that Ghana is expected to acquire additional aircraft for presidential travel by November this year as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s state aviation capacity.
The disclosure comes amid public debate over the use of a private aircraft belonging to the brother of John Dramani Mahama for official presidential travel.
In an opinion piece addressing the controversy, Dr Mahama acknowledged that concerns about possible perceptions of a conflict of interest are legitimate and deserve thoughtful engagement.
“It is a fair question. In a democratic society, citizens are not only entitled to ask such questions; they are duty-bound to do so,” he wrote, adding that public scrutiny is essential to maintaining trust in governance.
Dr Mahama explained that decisions regarding presidential travel are often shaped by a combination of security requirements, operational logistics and the current limitations of state aviation assets.
“Presidential travel is unlike any other form of travel. It carries with it layers of responsibility—security protocols, diplomatic engagements, communication systems and the requirement that the Head of State remains able to function as the executive authority of the republic even while thousands of kilometres away from Accra,” he stated.
According to him, some of the aircraft historically used for government travel were not designed for long-range diplomatic missions, while others face operational constraints.
To address these challenges, he said the government has initiated steps to expand the presidential air transport fleet as part of a broader retooling of the Ghana Armed Forces.
“By November this year, the country is expected to have additional aircraft within the presidential fleet, including one dedicated to the President’s travel,” he noted.
Dr Mahama said the development will enable Ghana to rely fully on state-owned assets for presidential travel and eliminate the need for temporary arrangements that have triggered the current public debate.
He added that strengthening institutional capacity remains central to the government’s broader efforts to rebuild public trust and improve governance.