Parliament has approved a $60 million deal between the Ministry of Defence and Dassault Aviation for the purchase of a Falcon 6X aircraft for the Ghana Air Force.
Lawmakers also endorsed a €125 million agreement with Airbus Helicopters SAS to supply one H160 and three H175 helicopters to bolster the Air Force’s fleet.
Deputy Defence Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi laid the agreements before Parliament on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, to purchase the helicopters.
The Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, subsequently referred the documents to the joint committees on Defence and Interior for scrutiny, and further instructed the leadership of the Finance Committee to examine the deals and report back to the House.
After Parliament approved the GH¢1.70 billion budget for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sector minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa assured the Minority that the presidency had moved away from the high costs previously linked to chartered luxury flights.
He noted that concerns he raised about former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s use of expensive chartered aircraft were no longer relevant, as President John Dramani Mahama now travels on commercial flights.
Ablakwa added that analysis by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson indicated that the expenses incurred on chartered flights under the previous administration could have funded a new presidential jet.
He argued that the current government is adopting a more prudent approach by investing in aircraft that will strengthen the Ghana Armed Forces.
Earlier, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament raised concerns over the government’s plan to spend GH¢13.1 billion over four years on two presidential jets and four helicopters for the Ghana Air Force.
Speaking to the Parliamentary Press Corps, Samuel Abu Jinapor, Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee and MP for Damongo, said the expenditure translates to about US$1.2 billion, using the Bank of Ghana’s current exchange rate of GH¢10.53 to the dollar.
Jinapor described the planned acquisition as misplaced, noting that the government should focus on more pressing national issues, including unpaid nurses’ allowances and the challenges farmers face with food gluts at farm gates.
He stated that the procurement process is expected to begin in 2026, with GH¢2.6 billion earmarked for that year. Government spending is projected at GHS 3.5 billion in 2027, GH¢3.3 billion in 2028, and another GH¢3.5 billion in 2029.
These allocations, he noted, are outlined on page 136, paragraph 10(9) of the 2025 budget statement.
