Minister of Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has defended his long-running scrutiny of presidential travel expenses, insisting he owes “no one an apology” for safeguarding the public purse.
In a Facebook post, Ablakwa described his campaign against the use of luxury chartered jets during former President Akufo-Addo’s tenure as “a noble oversight” and “a legacy I will forever cherish.”
He argued that Akufo-Addo’s charter of ultra-luxury aircraft, costing up to $18,000 per hour was unjustified, particularly when Ghana’s presidential jet was “available and in pristine condition.”
The minister recalled that Akufo-Addo himself, as an opposition MP in 2000, opposed the purchase of a new presidential jet under President Rawlings, questioning why his own actions two decades later should be defended.
Ablakwa claimed vindication, noting that Akufo-Addo abandoned chartered flights in the last 18 months of his presidency, resorting instead to the official presidential jet. While he commended the shift, Ablakwa suggested it was driven more by Ghana’s economic crisis and IMF bailout conditions than by principle.
He further dismissed critics calling for his resignation, stating: “My oversight mandate was strictly inspired by the national interest. I owe no one an apology… this is a legacy I will forever cherish.”
Ablakwa concluded that the current government, under President Mahama, is committed to “reset Ghana with truth, modesty, frugality, and deep respect for the Ghanaian people.”
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THE PRESIDENTIAL JET DEBATE — MY PROUD LEGACY FOR GOD AND COUNTRY AND WHY DISHONEST SPIN AND HATE CAMPAIGNS CANNOT DEFEAT TRUTH
1. I remain extremely proud of my parliamentary oversight as Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, particularly on my legislative scrutiny of presidential travels. My principled position has not changed and will not change. It has always been for God and Country;
2. I am quite certain former President Akufo-Addo is also proud of the forceful arguments he made in Parliament as Ranking Member, specifically on 15th February, 2000 opposing plans by President Rawlings to purchase a new executive jet primarily on the basis that it wasn’t a priority. Ironically, his misguided hirelings and minions vilifying me conveniently conceal former President Akufo-Addo’s documented track record. (See attached the Parliamentary Hansard of February 15, 2000 containing Akufo-Addo’s revealing debate);
3. Former President Akufo-Addo didn’t think President Rawlings’ presidential jet acquisition should be exempt from the principles of prioritization, prudence, value for money and transparency — so what changed when he became President 17 years later? Why is Akufo-Addo’s conduct in 2000 commendable but my conduct between 2021 and 2024 condemnable?
4. Let me emphasize for the avoidance of doubt, I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever for leading a long-drawn-out successful patriotic campaign against former President Akufo-Addo’s unjustified, wasteful and extremely reckless ostentatious charter of ultra-luxury jets for US$18,000 an hour, particularly at a time Ghana’s presidential jet was available and in pristine condition;
5. My oversight mandate was strictly inspired by the national interest and the patriotic objective of protecting the public purse — consistent with former President Akufo-Addo’s own eloquent pledge;
6. I owe no one an apology for leading this consequential and noble oversight to protect taxpayers — I am confident the vast majority of Ghanaians are appreciative of my sacrifices — this is a legacy I will forever cherish. I did it in good conscience for my country and not for the praises of those who cannot look beyond their stomachs;
7. It is really comical that the very people demanding of me to apologize or resign are the same people trying so hard to emulate my actions — the overwhelming verdict by Ghanaians, however, is that, so far, the “wannabes” have been spectacularly disastrous. In all humility, I am now inundated with appeals from well-meaning Ghanaians asking that I urgently organize a workshop for the disgraced MPs. That is what happens when you are not motivated by truth, patriotism, diligence, principle, sincerity and the national interest;
8. I was long vindicated when President Akufo-Addo reluctantly listened to me and the good people of Ghana who were justifiably outraged by his profligate conduct and therefore had to stop the practice of renting ultra-luxury executive jets at taxpayer expense in his final year in office;
9. The dishonest hirelings would want us to forget that from the second half of 2023, all the way to the end of his tenure on January 6, 2025, President Akufo-Addo abandoned chartered travels and resorted to the use of Ghana’s Presidential Jet. Indeed, I had occasion to commend President Akufo-Addo for the positive change of mind — even though many have argued that he stopped the extravagant rentals because Ghana became bankrupt and went in for a $3billion IMF bailout under stringent conditions. (See my commendation of President Akufo-Addo attached);
10. That President Akufo-Addo relied exclusively on Ghana’s Presidential Jet for over 18 months until he left office confirms that I wasn’t wrong when I insisted that the Presidential Jet which was purchased by President Kufuor in 2008 for US$37million and used by the previous Mills and Mahama presidencies was fit for purpose;
11. This is why during the period President Akufo-Addo refused to use the presidential jet, other African presidents were happy to make good use of it;
12. It ought to be recalled that when I filed parliamentary questions on the status of Ghana’s Presidential Jet in June 2021, both the former Ministers of Defence and National Security (Hon. Dominic Nitiwul and Hon. Albert Kan Dapaah) confirmed that the jet was in great condition and was airworthy. The only bizarre concern raised by the former Defence Minister, Hon. Dominic Nitiwul in Parliament was about how President Akufo-Addo could not shower in the presidential jet;
13. The ridiculous attempts to equalize based on unscrupulous falsehoods in a futile effort at whitewashing President Akufo-Addo who ought to have remembered his fierce criticism of President Rawlings is not only insulting but has already failed. The intelligence of Ghanaians should not be underestimated;
14. If the Akufo-Addo administration had listened to some of us much earlier on matters such as this profligate chartered jet travels which cost taxpayers over GHS120million, the US$97million wasted on the cathedral pit, the many inflated single sourced contracts and the numerous state capture scandals, Ghana could have avoided bankruptcy and the painful financial haircuts we had to suffer;
15. It is instructive and embarrassing to note that none of the leaders of the countries Ghana owes and is begging them for debt restructuring because the Akufo-Addo administration defaulted after mismanaging the economy do not abandon their presidential jets for luxury charters. Most of these countries actually have a presidential travel policy which demands that taxpayers are reimbursed if their presidents use the presidential jet for non-official or campaign purposes;
16. And by the way, can someone inform the cacophonous illogical propagandists that there’s a world of difference between jets and helicopters;
17. President Mahama’s government will continue to reset Ghana with truth, modesty, frugality and deep respect for the Ghanaian people.
For God and Country.
