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Stay away from $130m presidential jet being sold by Mexico’s López Obrador – Ablakwa tells Akufo-Addo
Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has cautioned government against any attempt to purchase the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Presidential Jet on sale by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
In a Facebook post, Mr Ablakwa noted that government may be inclined to negotiate the purchase of the presidential jet being sold at $130 million due to President Akufo-Addo’s desire to attend his foreign trips in extravagant aircraft.
According to Mr Ablakwa, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Presidential Jet “has all the features President Akufo-Addo craves in an aircraft.”
He also noted that the Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, indicated that the government is considering acquiring a bigger aircraft for presidential travels in September last year.
Mr Ablakwa, therefore, believes government is likely to buy the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
He said Ghanaians should “strongly caution President Akufo-Addo not to entertain any thought of approaching the Mexicans to buy their Presidential Jet considering that his government had earlier announced and defended plans to buy a new so-called “fit for purpose” presidential jet, and particularly seeing that the Mexican configuration is similar to what he has become addicted to in his infamous “sky bath” charters.”
Mr Ablakwa also told Ghanaians to ensure Parliament serves notice that any such Ghana-Mexico Presidential Jet Purchase Agreement will not be ratified.
Rather than entertain thoughts of purchasing the Mexican presidential jet, Mr Ablakwa has urged President Akufo-Addo to emulate President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who insists on flying commercial, consistent with his policies of austerity and modest leadership; therefore, his decision to sell the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Presidential Jet bought at $218 million by his predecessor.
Meanwhile, the North Tongu MP has advised the Mexican government not to entertain any bid from Ghana.
According to him, such a negotiation cannot take place because Ghana is an unlikely candidate to meet the financial terms because of its “mismanaged economy.”
Source: MyJoyOnline.com
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
