Akufo-Addo Blowing Ghc4.9million On Ten-Day Trip To Europe On Luxury Private Jet

In spite of protestations from Ghanaians, President Akufo-Addo has not weaned himself off the Boeing 737-97Y(ER)(BBJ3) luxury jet that he is renting at US$14,000 per hour, as he once more hires the expensive jet for his 10-day working visit to Europe.

Again, the North Tongu MP, Okudzeto Ablakwa, who has been on the trail of the President’s extravagant travels revealed that the latest trip will cost Ghanaian taxpayers a staggering GHC 4.9 million.

In a Facebook post, Okudzeto Ablakwa worked the cost implication of the ten-day trip: “ Our comprehensive computation of the President’s flying time for his 10-day tour looks as follows: 6 hours and 50min from Accra to France; 8hours and 30min from France to Guyana; 9hours and 5min from Guyana to Germany; 1hour and 10min from Germany to France; approximately 1hour from France to Belgium; another 1hour from Belgium to the UK; 6hours and 30min from the UK back to Ghana. This works out to some 34hours of air travel — at US14, 000 an hour, an initial bill of US$476,000 arises.”

He continued: “In addition, we estimate incidentals such as: landing fees, ramp fees, segment fees, federal excise tax, 7-member crew oversight fees, 7-member crew per diem fees, wait for time fees, short leg fees, de-icing fees, repositioning fees, international fees and one-way fees to amount to a conservative figure of US$300,000. In sum, for abandoning Ghana’s Presidential Jet and obstinately choosing an extravagant and sybaritic option, the Ghanaian taxpayer

should expect to cough up a staggering US$776,000 or the Cedi equivalent of GHS4, 979,328.16 by the time President Akufo-Addo returns.”

Already, Akufo-Addo is estimated to have blown over Ghc20million on travels using that expensive private jet, for which he abandoned the official presidential jet for interesting reasons, including, according to an appointee, the excuse that the presidential jet does not have a bathroom on board.

Demands by the Minority for the government to account for the cost of the travels have only been stonewalled by the government, with the National Security Ministry, telling parliament the cost from the president’s private jet cruises is a national secret.

Meanwhile, the same Akufo-Addo government has borrowed the country broke and is seeking to use every means to push through the Electronic transfer Levy (E-Levy) which will tax the savings of Ghanaians in order to raise money.

The Minority in Parliament, backed by Ghanaians, have been opposing the tax and in response, the government has been using the Police and the courts t