The government has presented a €111 million sales and performance agreement to parliament for the purchase and supply of 6 L-39 next generation aircraft for the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
On Tuesday, August 4, 2021, the agreement was laid by the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, on behalf of the Defense Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, as part of the measures put in place to retool the Ghana Armed Forces.
The agreement has been referred for review to the Defence and Interior Committee.
Earlier, Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul, testifying before the House on the state of the presidential administration, justified the need for the armed forces to be retooled with cutting-edge defense aircraft.
The seven aircrafts were supposed to be acquired for the Ghana Armed Forces by the end of 2020, according to the agreement. The government also plans to refurbish 15 military aircraft by December 2020..
As part of efforts to retool the security agency, in the 2021 budget statement, government announced that it had, “awarded a contract for the procurement of high technology communication equipment i.e. Night Vision Binoculars and Monoculars for the GAF to improve night operations.”
Dominic Nitiwul who is also lawmaker for Bimbila explained in an interview that Ghana has spent over $50 million in the last 10 years alone to rent aircraft.
He said, “We are spending more money to charter aircraft that we would have if we had our own aircraft. Over the last 10 years, we have spent over $50 million to charter aircraft and the Ghana Air Force is asking why are you wasting all these monies.
Mr Nitiwul said, “if you have $50 million to charter aircraft to cater for soldiers only, why wont you give that money for us to buy a bigger aircraft.”
Source: 3news
