Use Commercial Plane To Fly And Save Ghana Poor Money Prof Stephen Adei To Akufo-Addo and others
The Former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Prof. Stephen Adei, has kicked against the spate at which President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his entourage are chattering. presidential jet to travel outside the country at the expenses of Ghanaians.
Freeman Koryekpor Awlesu Greater 
The former Rector of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Prof. Stephen Adei, has kicked against the spate at which President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his entourage are chattering. presidential jet to travel outside the country at the expense of Ghanaians.
Prof Adei who doubles as the Economic lecturer at the Pentecost University in Accra noted that he is concerned about the spate of waste by successive governments.
He believes our governments must learn to live by austere standards, especially for a poor country like Ghana.
The former GIMPA lecturer cites how leaders of some developed nations even resort to flying commercial and with slim entourages unlike what is seen in the case of Ghanaian presidents.
“We are a poor country and, so, whether it is Mahama or Akufo-Addo, it is not about flying around in a presidential jet because when you go to countries like Australia and other developed countries, their prime minister, for instance, uses a commercial flight.
"He doesn’t move with a huge entourage made up of 40 people and, so, I believe we have become like a poor man who goes to the farm bedecked in a kente cloth.”
He is quick to add that his critique is not of the current government and for that matter President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo: "It is not just this government. It is something I’ve said over and over again.
“If you’re poor and you wear a piece of kente cloth to the farm, it is not a good thing”, Prof Adei stressed.
He made the comments in an interview last week on Accra FM, where he discussed a range of governance and economic issues.
Ablakwa's 'fight' against Akufo-Addo's luxury jet travels
North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has been championing a dogged reportage on the purported costs of presidential travels via private jet since last year.
According to the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament, Akufo-Addo opts for ultra-luxury charters despite the fact that there is a presidential jet that remains in pristine condition.
In his most recent post on the travels, Ablakwa disclosed thus: "President Akufo-Addo has for the umpteenth time ignored the precarious state of the Ghanaian economy and abandoned Ghana's US$36million Presidential Jet in favor of his most cherished ultra-luxury toy — the LX-DIO which now rents for US$18,000 an hour.
"It is clearly a helpless costly addiction which sadly, the Ghanaian taxpayer must pay for. The President's latest misconduct appears to be the most deceptive thus far."
On the issue of the costs of the 10-day overseas trip, he said: "It is imperative to note that so far, the Ghanaian taxpayer must cough up an astronomical US$465,000 in luxury rental charges. At the current exchange, that is a scary GH¢3,505,515.49.
"This will mean that since May last year, the Ghanaian taxpayer has spent at least GH¢28.5million on President Akufo-Addo’s ostentatious travels."
The government has defended the private jet travels stating that the presidential jet was not suited for long-haul flights. Plans are also afoot to purchase a new presidential jet, the Presidency announced last year.
