NPP Minority raises alarm over GHS 13.1 billion plan for presidential jets and helicopters amid social service gaps

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament has voiced serious concerns over the government’s plan to spend GHS 13.1 billion over four years on acquiring two presidential jets and four helicopters for the Ghana Armed Air Force.

Speaking to the Parliamentary Press Corps on Wednesday, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and MP for Damongo, noted that the expenditure, when converted at the Bank of Ghana’s current exchange rate of GHS 10.53 to the US dollar, amounts to roughly US$1.2 billion.

Mr Jinapor described the planned procurement of the presidential aircraft as a misplaced priority, especially at a time when nurses’ allowances remain unpaid and farmers are struggling with surplus produce at the farm gates.

According to the 2026–2029 budget projections, the government intends to spend GHS 2.6 billion in 2026, GHS 3.5 billion in 2027, GHS 3.3 billion in 2028, and GHS 3.5 billion in 2029 on the acquisition. The figures were cited from page 136, paragraph 10(9) of the 2026 Budget Statement.

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