The saga over aircrafts purchase

By CCL Desk Report

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is disgusted about the unnecessary controversy the purchase of the five aircrafts meant to enhance its operational activities in and out of the country has run into.

The GAF, however, assured Ghanaians that they would not engage in an act of frivolous expenditure to the detriment of the generality of Ghanaians.

The GAF, “This issue of acquiring these aircrafts has been on the table for over 12 years. Under President Rawlings, we could not get them. We got four under President Kufuor. We need to replace the old equipment, let’s not toe with security we have.”

On Wednesday, the government of Ghana laid before the House an agreement, which is a loan facility of US$105,370,177.09 from the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), for the purchase of one Embraer E190 jet, together with a hanger at cost of $17m. There are two BA 42 Guardian Surveillance jets, costing eleven million Euro and another two CT95 aircraft at a cost of 60 million euro.

The agreement generated heated debates between the Majority and the Minority. The position of the Minority has appeared that they were on the path of vengeance the Majority who had kicked against the purchase of two aircrafts meant for the president under President Kufour. The Minority has also described the cost of the aircrafts as too expensive to purchase, therefore they smelled fishy deal in the transaction.

The majority rebuffed the claims and asserted that the transaction was well intended because the government would not compromise the security of the nation.

They explained the cost of the aircrafts shot up because of the strategic specifications the GAF has requested.

In an interview with TV3 in Accra on Thursday, the Director of Public Affairs of the GAF, Col. Mbawine Atintande, stated that the acrimonious debates over the acquisition of the jets by the government were disturbing and regrettable. The Director has described the debates on the floor of Parliament over the purchase of the jets as very divisive and partisanship, this, according to him, would not augur well for the security of the nation.

Currently, he said, the United Nation has to rent aircraft from different country at huge cost whenever their troops would to be transported to peacekeeping mission abroad. “Ghana would have been earning from these aircrafts if we have them,” he maintained.

Col. Atintande stated, “We don’t belong to any political party. We are for Ghana. Party will come and go, but we shall remain Ghana Armed Forces. As it is now, the Navy will be helpless should pirates invade our new found oil.”