The Ashanti Regional Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Yandoh, has criticised businessman Ibrahim Mahama over his acquisition of a new private jet worth an estimated $70 million, arguing the money would have been better deployed as a loan to the government to settle unpaid cocoa farmers.
Ibrahim Mahama, the younger brother of President John Dramani Mahama and founder of Engineers and Planners, took delivery of a customised Bombardier Global 6500 jet branded “Dzata,” meaning Lion, on March 3, 2026. The aircraft was ordered in 2024 and delivered in early 2026.
Reacting to the acquisition, Yandoh said the purchase was ill-timed given the economic hardships many Ghanaians are experiencing. “When you watch what’s happening on the internet, you’ll see that people are complaining about electricity, and then I woke up to the news that Ibrahim Mahama has bought a new private jet,” he said. “Farmers are suffering because their wares are not being bought, and then a president’s brother has gone to buy a private jet. If you have made $70 million, why not give a loan to your brother so that he can help struggling Ghanaians? What is our crime as Ghanaians?” he added.
The comments arrive amid growing pressure on the government over delays in payments to cocoa farmers, a recurring grievance that has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum.
However, Yandoh’s remarks omit a significant concurrent development. At the same event at Accra International Airport where he took delivery of the new jet, Ibrahim Mahama announced that his former private jet, a Bombardier 604, has been donated to the state and will now serve as a national emergency air ambulance, available free of charge to any Ghanaian requiring urgent medical evacuation, both locally and internationally. The donation has been welcomed by health officials as a meaningful contribution to Ghana’s emergency medical infrastructure.
The Bombardier Global 6500 is an ultra-long-range business jet capable of flying up to 6,600 nautical miles non-stop, equipped with advanced avionics and designed for intercontinental corporate and executive travel. Ibrahim Mahama, 55, heads one of West Africa’s largest heavy equipment and construction firms, with additional interests spanning cement production through Dzata Cement and other industrial ventures.
