Ghana is not a family business, stop flying your brother’s jet - Ahiagbah tells Mahama

The Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party, Richard Ahiagbah, has strongly criticised President John Dramani Mahama for using a jet owned by his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, for official travel. Ahiagbah described the practice as a step toward a “family-and-friends government,” urging the President to immediately halt the use of private family-owned aircraft for state functions.

“Family government… In opposition, President Mahama and the NDC shouted ‘family and friends government.’ Now you’re flying your brother’s jet. Ghana is not a family business,” he wrote on X, emphasising that such actions could erode public trust and fuel perceptions of nepotism.

The controversy has drawn comments from other public figures. Franklin Cudjoe, the Founding President of IMANI Africa, also criticised the President’s decision, pointing out that the economic rationale for using the aircraft has not been explained. According to Cudjoe, President Mahama’s action appears inconsistent with the code of conduct he set for all appointees, particularly regarding travel expenditures and accountability.

“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 reasons why it is the only safe, available, and cheaper option,” Cudjoe wrote in a statement posted on his Facebook page. He further noted that Mahama recently flew commercial, a move publicly lauded by his communications team, and expressed concern that using a family-owned jet sends “conflicting signals about your own fidelity to the public code of conduct for public office.”

Cudjoe also referenced what he called the “dead goat” controversy, implying that repeating similar actions could further damage public perception. He concluded by urging the President to cease using private family assets for official purposes.

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni also weighed in, drawing comparisons to previous administrations: “If Gabby Otchere-Darko were a private businessman, owned a private jet, and President Akufo-Addo used it for official trips,” he wrote, implying that public scrutiny should apply equally across governments and highlighting the potential for political backlash.

President Mahama is currently in South Korea to hold bilateral talks with President Lee Jae Myung. The decision to travel on a jet owned by his brother has sparked widespread debate on social media about the appropriateness, transparency, and economic implications of using family-owned assets for state functions, with many calling for clarification and justification.