IMANI Africa president Franklin Cudjoe has raised fresh concerns over the state of Ghana’s Air Force, painting a troubling picture of grounded aircraft and questionable procurement decisions.
In a Facebook post on Monday sighted by MyNewsGh, Mr Cudjoe provided what he described as a “summary of the state of our Air Force,” citing figures from the Armed Forces Security Council Report.
According to him, of the four MI-17 helicopters acquired in 2013, only one remains operational. Similarly, out of three Casa 295 troop transport planes purchased in 2013 and 2015, just one is still flying. The same fate has befallen the four Z-9 helicopters acquired in 2015 — with only one currently serviceable.
Cudjoe revealed that in some cases, broken aircraft have been cannibalised for parts to keep others in the air.
However, he stressed that some politicians in the past had strongly opposed the purchase of new aircraft — not only for political point-scoring but also due to concerns over the murky nature of contracts and procurement processes.
“So where did all the €13 billion we borrowed go? Hmm,” Cudjoe asked rhetorically, questioning how such a huge amount could be borrowed yet leave the Air Force in its current state.
