Ghana partners with Ethiopian Airlines to fly national carrier in 2019
Ghana has signed an MoU with Ethiopian Airlines
Dec 13, 2018: Ghana has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Ethiopian Airlines to fly the national carrier in 2019.
The agreement, which is expected to be finalised before the end of this year, will see the Ethiopian Airlines contributing funding, equity, aircraft and management services which are critical areas the airlines have expertise in. The government of Ghana will receive 10 percent of shares in the home-based carrier while the majority shares will be for Ghanaian investors.
The Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adah, who announced at the celebration of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) day in Accra, mentioned, “Ethiopia is coming as minority shareholders with something way below 50 percent.”
The event held on the theme, “Working together to ensure no country is left behind,” was meant to establish and reinforce worldwide awareness of the importance of international civil aviation on social and economic development of nations.
Adah said some Ghanaian investors had expressed interest in acquiring shares in the new national carrier and are currently calling back all stakeholders who expressed interest to look at the proportion they want, and that will take place soon.
According to him, in the wake of the collapse of Ghana Airways and the Ghana International Airlines, it was prudent for the country to enter into strategic agreement with the Ethiopian Airlines to revive its national carrier.
The strategic partnership would allow aviation experts in Ghana to build their capacity till they were in a position to take over from the Ethiopian Airlines.
Chief justice Sophia Akuffo said Ghana would need a safe, secure and efficient aviation industry as it sought to attract international capital and resources to support its quest to boost economic growth, create jobs and improve living standards. She said this would require that Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) play its role as a regulator in a way that attracted not only investors but also ensure that the authority lived by the rules by treating passengers well and also setting up measures that could successfully drive the aviation sector.
