The Founding President of think tank IMANI Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe, has expressed an opposing view concerning government’s plans to acquire a new national airline.

According to him, “there are other reasons, mostly managerial, why Ghana's quest for a state-sponsored national carrier isn't a wise investment”, he said, adding: “History is not too distant to revisit.”

His comments follow remarks by Aviation Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah that government will not interfere in the operations of Ghana’s new national airline.

The Minister made the remarks when she joined a panel to discuss ways of fixing Africa’s air transport challenges as part of the BBC Africa Debate on Friday May 26.

“As a member of this government with a new vision in aviation in this country, there will be no government interference and the staff and the management will have to be the best, because it is not only political interference that runs airlines down; it is also by management as well as the workers, that is, the staff,” she stated.

But Mr Cudjoe has strongly opposed Ms Dapaah’s comments.

“I see that the current Aviation Minister also believes Ghana must have a state-sponsored airline because it is strategic to do so, not necessarily profitable to do so. At least that is the impression created when the Aviation Minister took part in a BBC Africa Debate on challenges with air travel in Africa. I see this is the continuation of an NDC-PwC-inspired logic,” he said in a Facebook post.