Founder of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has asked John Dramani Mahama to explain his continued use of his brother’s private jet for official travel.
Cudjoe made the call in a Thursday social media post, arguing that the president must provide clear justification if he chooses to travel on the private aircraft owned by his brother, Ibrahim Mahama.
“Mr. President, with due respect, you cannot be asking your appointees not to travel without providing economic justification and then you jump on your brother’s plane without providing us reasons why you think it is the only safe, available and cheaper airline,” he wrote.
The IMANI Africa founder said the development risks creating mixed signals about the government’s commitment to accountability in the use of public resources.
“You recently flew commercial and your communications team happily shared videos. We all applauded,” he stated.
“Seriously this sends conflicting signals about your own fidelity to the public code of conduct for public office,” Cudjoe added.
His comments come amid renewed discussion over the president’s travel arrangements after he arrived in South Korea on a private aircraft owned by his brother.
President Mahama is currently on a four-day working visit to the Asian country and touched down in Seoul aboard Ibrahim Mahama’s private jet.
Since assuming office last year, the president has reportedly undertaken several international trips using the same aircraft, prompting debate among sections of the public over whether a sitting president should rely on a privately owned plane for official travel.
Some commentators argue that such arrangements require transparency to ensure that public officials comply with standards governing the use of state resources.
Cudjoe also warned that the practice could revive criticism that previously trailed political leaders over their travel choices.
“This is the second time I have heard about using Mr. Ibrahim Mahama’s plane and you may be earning back your own ‘dead goat’ syndrome, which was last rejected by many. Please stop,” he wrote.
The use of private aircraft by Ghanaian presidents has been a recurring subject of political debate. During the administration of former president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his frequent use of chartered private jets attracted criticism from the then opposition National Democratic Congress, which accused the government of incurring excessive travel costs.
The issue has resurfaced with President Mahama’s latest trip, with some observers calling for clarity on the arrangements surrounding the use of the privately owned aircraft.
