Franklin Cudjoe, the president of IMANI Africa, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to explain his continued use of a private jet belonging to his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, for official state trips.
The call comes after concerns were raised by sections of the public over the president’s repeated use of the aircraft instead of the official presidential jet, the Dassault Falcon 900EX.
President Mahama is currently on a state visit to South Korea and was again seen using the private jet, which bears the inscription “Dzata.”
While some have argued that the use of the aircraft may be convenient in the absence of the official presidential jet, others have raised security concerns about the use of a private aircraft for state travel. Critics have also suggested that the move may send the wrong signal to the public.
The debate also comes at a time when the government has announced measures to reduce public spending, including restrictions on official travel by government appointees and board members.
The directive, issued from Jubilee House on March 5 and signed by the Secretary to the President, Callistus Mahama, imposed an immediate ban on international travel by boards of state-owned enterprises and public institutions for training, conferences, retreats, and study tours funded with public resources.
According to the presidency, the decision followed rising concerns about the escalating cost of overseas trips by board members.
Reacting to the development in a Facebook post on Thursday, March 12, 2026, Mr. Cudjoe questioned the president’s decision to use the private jet without publicly explaining the reasons.
“Mr. President, with due respect, you cannot be asking your appointees not to travel without providing economic justification and then you jump on your brother’s plane without providing us reasons why you think it is the only safe, available and cheaper airline,” he said.
He noted that the president had recently travelled on a commercial flight, which was publicly shared by the president’s communications team and widely applauded.
“You recently flew commercial and your communications team happily shared videos. We all applauded,” he said.
Mr. Cudjoe said the continued use of the private jet sends mixed signals to the public about adherence to standards expected of public office holders.
“Seriously this sends conflicting signals about your own fidelity to the public code of conduct for public office,” he said.
He added: “This is the second time I have heard about using Mr. Ibrahim Mahama’s plane and you may be earning back your own ‘dead goat’ syndrome, which was last rejected by many. Please stop.”
