President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has called on John Dramani Mahama to explain his continued use of a private jet owned by his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, for official state travel.
The call follows growing public debate over the president’s repeated use of the aircraft, which bears the inscription “Dzata,” instead of the official presidential jet, the Dassault Falcon 900EX. President Mahama is currently on a state visit to South Korea and was once again seen travelling on the private jet.
While some observers argue that the use of the aircraft may be practical if the official jet is unavailable, others have raised concerns about security and the message it sends to the public.
The debate comes at a time when the government has introduced measures to cut public spending, including restrictions on official international 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 trips for boards of state-owned enterprises and public institutions for training, conferences, retreats and study tours funded by public resources. According to the presidency, the decision followed concerns about the rising cost of overseas travel by board members.
Reacting to the development in a Facebook post on Thursday, March 12, 2026, Mr. Cudjoe questioned why the president had not publicly explained the reasons for using the private jet.
“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 wrote.
He also recalled that the president had recently travelled on a commercial flight, a move that was publicly shared by the presidency’s communications team and widely applauded.
“You recently flew commercial and your communications team happily shared videos. We all applauded,” Mr. Cudjoe noted.
According to him, the continued use of the private jet risks sending mixed signals regarding the 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 added.
Mr. Cudjoe further cautioned that the situation could revive past criticisms directed at the president.
“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,” he stated.
