Akufo-Addo didn’t spend €480k on ‘luxury monster’ flight abroad – Presidency

The Presidency has debunked claims made by North Tongu Member of Parliament (MP) Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa against President Akufo-Addo’s latest trip to Belgium and Rwanda.

On his Facebook page, the MP said the President’s current trip to Belgium and Rwanda had cost the taxpayer €480,000.00, equivalent to GHS4.1 million.

“For President Akufo-Addo’s current trip to Belgium and Rwanda; we can confirm a conservative bill of €480,000.00. The 480,000 Euros which is derived from 21 hours of total flight time plus other industry charges works out to some 4.1million Ghana Cedis at current exchange rate,” he alleged.

The Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament also alleged that President Akufo-Addo travelled out of Ghana aboard a monster luxurious Airbus ACJ319 private jet.

However, the Presidency insists that the claims by the North Tongu MP are false.

In a three-page statement, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, said the President travelled to Belgium onboard an Air France Commercial Flight (AF0584), which departed Accra on Sunday at 7:20 pm, made a stop-over in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and then continued to Paris.

The release added that all of President Akufo-Addo’s 12-member delegation travelled by commercial means.

“Upon arrival in Paris, President Akufo-Addo and his delegation travelled via train to Brussels to attend the European Development Days event, where, on Tuesday, 21st June 2022, he was a keynote speaker, and later held meetings with the President of the European Investment Bank on two key subject areas – the financial assistance to Ghana for the Development Bank Ghana and for the construction of a vaccine manufacturing Plant in Ghana.

“He also held a meeting with His Excellency Charles Michel, President of the European Council, on matters of mutual interest, especially the ongoing terrorist activities in the Sahel,” the Presidency explained.

Because of a strike in the Belgium aviation sector, the Presidency said President Akufo-Addo had to travel via charter flight to Kigali because of flight cancellations.

“This was done to ensure that the President made it to Kigali on time to participate in the ground-breaking ceremony on Thursday, 23rd June, for the commencement of work on the Pan-African Vaccine Manufacturing Project, involving Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal and BioNTech SE, the German biotechnology company, as well as attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which also is being held in Kigali, Rwanda.”