Foreign Affairs Minister Ayorkor Botchwey

Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has said there is nothing abnormal about the use of the country’s presidential jet by another African president as was the case with Liberian president, Mr George Weah.

In a statement responding to North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa’s recent exposé that the government of Ghana released the presidential jet to Mr Weah while President Nana Akufo-Addo embarked on his last foreign trips aboard a luxurious jet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the opposition MP’s “insular posture comes as a surprise”.

“In the light of the strenuous and concerted efforts by ECOWAS leaders to broker peace in the region, the Ministry finds it rather unfortunate that Hon. Okedezeto Ablakwa would seek to deliberately muddy the waters with these negative comments.”

“In the latest of such utterances, Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa sought to suggest that transporting the President of Liberia, His Excellency George Weah, aboard Ghana’s presidential jet to participate in the emergency ECOWAS Summit during the recent political crisis in Guinea, constituted and impropriety. Nothing could be further from the truth”.

“It must be emphasized that the practice of sharing travel resources among West African Heads of State and high-ranking officials, is not a recent phenomenon. Indeed, in the past, some Heads of State have, in their capacity as Chair of ECOWAS, extended this courtesy”, the Ministry explained.

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