Parliament Approves 4 Helicopters, Presidential Jet Contract Agreements
Parliament has okayed the contract agreements for the acquisition of four helicopters and one presidential jet for the Ghana Air Force(GAF).
The first agreement was a contract agreement between the government of Ghana, represented by the Ministry of Defence, and Airbus Helicopter (SAS), France, for an amount of €125.97 million for the supply of one H160 and three H175 helicopters for the GAF.
The second was the sale and purchase contract agreement between the government of Ghana and Dassault Aviation, France, for an amount of $60.68 million for the acquisition of one Falcon 6X for the GAF.
The government will fully finance the purchase of the multipurpose helicopters over a four-year period, with payment scheduled to begin in December this year with an initial installment of €62.5 million.
It will be followed by subsequent payments in May 2026, March 2027 and December 2028.
The agreements were presented to Parliament by the Deputy Minister for Defence, Ernest Brogya Genfi, on December 3, this year, and it was referred to the Committee on Defence and Interior for consideration and report.
Justification
Presenting the committee’s report and urging the House to adopt it, the Chairman of the committee, James Agalga, said Article 210 of the Constitution mandated that the GAF was combat ready at all times in terms of its personnel and also its equipment.
He said a considerable portion of the GAF fleet had reached an advanced age, with many currently grounded due to extensive maintenance challenges.
“In this regard, it is necessary that the state adequately equips the Ghana Armed Forces from time to time with modern and sophisticated equipment to make it undertake its internal and external responsibilities.
Mr Agalga told the House that the committee observed that the proposed four helicopters and one executive jet, together with associated support and services, were obtained from Airbus Helicopters (SAS) and Dassault Aviation with key requirements which included the cost of aircraft, reliability, operational efficiency, safety and the desired technical specification.
The committee further observed that the proposed helicopters and jets were designed for versatility, offering superior performance in executive and troop transport, logistics support and humanitarian operations.
Recommendation
The MP for Bulsa North said the committee advised that adequate funding be allocated not only for procurement but also for pilot training, maintenance support systems and associated infrastructure to ensure the aircraft delivered optimal performance and long-term value in both security and executive operations.
The proposed multipurpose/multirole helicopters require a production lead time of approximately three years before delivery can be made.
“It was evident that continued reliance on the ageing Mi-17 helicopter fleet and the Falcon 900EX aircraft has become financially unsustainable and operationally inefficient for the Ghana Air Force.
“Over a projected 15-year service life, the total lifecycle cost of the proposed new fleet is estimated to be 30-40 per cent lower than the cost of maintaining and operating the existing ageing aircraft,” he said.
Minority Supports
Supporting the motion for the House to approve the contract agreements, the Ranking Member on the Defence Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, said the Minority supported retooling efforts to enhance the air capabilities of the Ghana Air Force.
He said since it was a need of yesterday, today and years to come, the Minority supported it
Source: Graphic
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