Defence Minister Backs Veep, Blames NPP Government for Jet Issues

Ghana’s Minister for Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, has stepped forward to counter allegations that Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang used a private aircraft on her return trip from the United Kingdom.

Instead, he redirected criticism toward the former Akufo-Addo administration, holding it accountable for the current unusable state of Ghana’s presidential aircraft.

In a detailed Facebook post on Friday, May 23, Dr. Boamah addressed the public controversy surrounding the Vice President’s travel. He firmly denied claims suggesting that Opoku-Agyemang had chartered a private jet at the expense of the taxpayer and asserted that such travel arrangements were necessitated by the inoperability of the official presidential jet, which he said had been poorly maintained under the previous government’s watch.

According to Dr. Boamah, neglect during the tenure of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo resulted in the deterioration of the presidential aircraft, particularly a corroded fuel tank. This significant mechanical issue has grounded the jet, which is currently overseas undergoing critical repair work. He added that the aircraft had been taken to a foreign repair facility for what he described as comprehensive maintenance and restoration.

The statement came in response to accusations made by Vincent Ekow Assafuah, a Member of Parliament for Old Tafo and member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), who had alleged that the Vice President had returned from her medical leave in the UK aboard a privately hired flight. Dr. Boamah rejected these claims as baseless and politically motivated.

He urged critics to acknowledge the reality—that the former NPP-led administration had failed in its duty to upkeep essential national assets. “The NPP, which suffered an unprecedented loss in the recent presidential and parliamentary elections, should remember that it is their neglect that rendered the presidential aircraft unusable,” he wrote.

Dr. Boamah also mentioned that the ongoing repair process could take up to three months before the aircraft is restored to operational condition. He concluded by stressing that the decision to use alternative modes of travel is not a luxury but a necessity imposed by the previous government’s mismanagement.