Ghana’s presidential jet, a critical asset for the nation’s highest officials, has been grounded due to extensive corrosion, rendering it unusable for the President, Vice President, and other key state figures. This concerning state of disrepair was disclosed by the Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah on the floor of Parliament.
Dr. Omane Boamah revealed that the 15-year-old aircraft is suffering from “massive multifocal corrosion,” affecting crucial components of the plane. This, he says has led to its abandonment by top government officials, who would typically rely on the jet for official travel.
Adding to the challenge, the Minister highlighted significant difficulties in procuring necessary spare parts, which has severely hampered repair efforts. He elaborated on the ongoing struggle; “The current state of the presidential jet, if I’m to summarize, is an aircraft that is almost 15 years old, that has massive multifocal corrosion, including very important parts of the machine.”
He further explained the broader implications of the jet’s malfunction, noting that it serves not only the executive branch but also members of the legislature and other government institutions. “These defects, we are trying to fix them, but they keep on identifying new defects as they fix them,” Dr. Omane Boamah stated.
A specific example of the procurement challenges, according to him involved a heavily corroded table fan requiring replacement. He explained that the company responsible for the aircraft did not have the spare part readily available, leading to protracted negotiations.
While a replacement part was eventually secured and successfully installed, the Minister expressed concerns about future repairs. “No one can predict, going forward, if other spares also get dysfunctional, whether we are going to be able to have others for replacement,” he cautioned, underscoring the long-term implications of maintaining older aircraft with limited parts availability.
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
