‘Ghana Airways will be back in the air before I leave office’ — Ghana’s President
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed confidence that Ghana Airways will return to the skies before the end of his tenure, as his administration pursues investments to modernise the country’s transport infrastructure.
The President made the statement on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in Moscow after receiving an honorary doctorate from the Russian University of Transport (RUT), Russia’s premier transport university.
He said efforts are underway to revive the defunct Ghana Airways.
“And even as I speak, we are working on revamping our cherished national airline, which is the defunct Ghana Airways. And as I said, it’s my hope that before I leave office, we will have Ghana Airways back in the air,” he said.
President Mahama, who is the first sitting Head of State to receive an honorary doctorate from the 130-year-old institution, described transport infrastructure as a critical catalyst for national development.
“Transport systems are an important catalyst to development. And throughout history, the pace of progress of nations has been advanced by the great railways, the great highways, the shipping facilities, and aviation. In Ghana, we recognize this fact,” he said.
He said his administration had been investing in the modernisation of Ghana’s transport networks under the Big Push programme, including roads, ports, airports and railways.
“We have been investing our resources in modernizing our transportation networks. We’ve built new ports in Tema and have invested in expanding all our other existing port facilities. Under our Big Push program, we are reconstructing all our major road networks across the country,” he said.
According to the President, work is also underway to expand existing airports, construct three new regional airports and extend the country’s railway network, while new freight trains are being introduced.
The honorary doctorate was conferred during a ceremony at RUT’s grand auditorium, attended by members of the academic senate, Ghanaian officials, students and members of the diplomatic corps.
In its citation, the university praised President Mahama for his leadership and commitment to infrastructure and education.
The honour was one of two academic recognitions received by the President in Moscow on Tuesday. Earlier, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by the Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN), where he studied as a postgraduate student nearly 40 years ago.
President Mahama is in Moscow to participate in the 3rd Russia-Africa Summit, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin on October 28 and 29.
The summit is expected to bring together more than 30 African Heads of State, with discussions at the Economic and Humanitarian Forum focusing on trade, energy, infrastructure and other areas of cooperation.
During an open dialogue with students ahead of the RUT ceremony, President Mahama also disclosed that Ghana was exploring nuclear energy to support its industrialisation agenda.
He explained that the planned domestic processing of the country’s mineral resources would require significantly more electricity than Ghana currently generates.
“My dream is to translate the macroeconomic success into jobs and opportunities for the young people. How we set the stage for the country to industrialise. That’s my dream,” he told the students.
The President is expected to hold bilateral talks with President Putin and engage Russian businesses and state institutions on the sidelines of the summit.
