Presidential Adviser and Special Aide to President John Mahama, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, has thrown her weight behind the Mahama administration’s renewed push to establish a national airline, describing it as a long-overdue step toward restoring national pride and unlocking Ghana’s economic potential.
In a Facebook post published Wednesday morning, Joyce Bawa highlighted the strategic importance of reintroducing a national carrier, citing Ghana’s prime geographic location and the economic benefits that could follow.
“Ghana’s strategic geographic location at the heart of West Africa positions it naturally as a hub for trade, job creation, tourism, and investment,” she noted.
“However, the absence of a reliable national airline has constrained our ability to fully capitalize on growing regional and global air traffic.”
Her comments follow the recent inauguration of a 10-member Task Force by President John Dramani Mahama, aimed at delivering on a key 2024 campaign promise to reestablish the country’s defunct national airline.
The proposal has sparked nationwide debate, with some Ghanaians advocating for a fully government-owned airline, while others call for a public-private partnership model that pairs government oversight with private sector efficiency.
Joyce Bawa, however, emphasized that the focus should be on building a well-governed and professionally managed airline that avoids past pitfalls.
She argued that such a carrier would not only enhance Ghana’s international connectivity but also support job creation, skill development, and innovation across multiple sectors, including tourism, logistics, and aircraft maintenance.
“A national airline would provide direct routes that reduce travel time and costs for both Ghanaians and international visitors, making Ghana more competitive as a regional gateway,” she wrote.
She added that, beyond economics, a successful national airline could become a symbol of “national ambition and pride” and reflect Ghana’s commitment to growth, self-reliance, and global integration.
“The time has come not just to revisit this idea, but to realize it with clarity of vision, institutional discipline, and strong political will,” she concluded.
Ghana’s previous attempts to operate a national airline—most notably Ghana Airways and Ghana International Airlines—ended in liquidation, leaving the country without a flag carrier for over a decade.
With President Mahama’s administration now taking concrete steps, the debate over the future of Ghana’s aviation industry is set to take center stage once again.
Read her post sighted by Mynewsgh.com below:
