Contracts for new Air Force helicopters, Presidential Jet presented to parliament

The government has formally laid before Parliament two major defence procurement agreements covering the purchase of four helicopters and a new presidential aircraft for the Ghana Air Force (GAF).

Deputy Defence Minister Ernest Brogya Genfi presented the documents to the House on Wednesday, 3 December 2025. The agreements have now been referred to the joint committees on Defence and Interior, as well as the leadership of the Finance Committee, for detailed scrutiny.

Under the first contract, Ghana will acquire one H160 helicopter and three H175 helicopters from Airbus Helicopter (SAS) of France at a cost of €125.97 million.

A separate sale-and-purchase agreement with Dassault Aviation, also from France, covers the procurement of a Falcon 6X, valued at $60.68 million, intended to form part of the presidential fleet but classified under GAF assets.

The presentation came shortly after MPs approved the GH₵1.70 billion budget allocation for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, speaking after the approval, defended the government’s broader approach to travel expenditure. He told the House that President John Dramani Mahama had been using commercial flights for all international assignments and was not engaging in the “ultra-luxury jet charters” he previously criticised under former President Akufo-Addo.

According to him, analysis by Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson showed that the cost of chartering aircraft during the Akufo-Addo administration “could have bought a brand-new jet”.

“President Mahama has now put us on a prudent path,” he said. “Instead of chattering and wasting taxpayer resources, he is making investments that will serve the Ghana Armed Forces.”

However, the Second Deputy Minority Leader, Habib Iddrisu, challenged Mr Ablakwa’s silence on the aircraft purchases, noting that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had received barely half of the over GH₵3 billion it requested for 2026.

He criticised the government’s spending priorities, claiming that “more than GH₵13 billion” had been allocated towards acquiring four helicopters and two presidential jets — one long-range and one medium-range.

The Minority, he said, would prefer that such funds be redirected to support the under-resourced Foreign Affairs Ministry.

Parliament’s relevant committees are expected to study the contracts and report back before the House decides whether to approve the acquisitions, which the government says are necessary to boost Air Force operational capabilities.