Anane Explains GIA-Ethiopian Airline Relationship

The Roads Transport Minister, Dr Richard Anane, has been explaining circumstances surrounding the involvement of Ethiopian Airlines in the Ghana International Airline /Government of Ghana deal for the operations of the National Carrier Ghana Airways.

Bidding documents cited by Joy News do not mention Ethiopian Airlines as a potential partner.

But the Minister insists it was one of the parties in the original proposal submitted by GIA.

He told Joy News that due to the protracted negotiations and some hiccups during negotiations between the government of Ghana and GIA, Ethiopian Airlines decided to stay on the sideline until matters were clarified.

“ In the original arrangements Ethiopian Airlines was a party to GIA but over the past one year there has been series of ups and downs about the negotiations about which of the partners the government will work with. Ethiopian airlines is a business entity that wanted clarity so when everything was settled, GIA has been negotiating with Ethiopian Airlines so that the Ethiopian Airlines with its experience will comes in,” he says

Dr Anane also took a swipe at media reports that he presided over a shady deal in choosing GIA over other bidders.

Some newspaper reports suggest that attempts by GIA to bring Ethiopian airlines on board vindicate criticisms that GIA does not have the capacity to manage the new national airline. But the minister disagrees.

“ Last year the Stateman weeded into this Ghana Airways politics again and I had course to caution them about the politics of it. I am really taken aback about the kind of write up that the statesman did, you can see a lot of incoherence in its presentations and I thought the Statesman shouldn't have stoop that low,” he says.

Meanwhile, the Public Relations Manager of Ethiopian Airlines, Kagnew Fesaha, has confirmed to Joy News that the airline is negotiating with GIA and government officials for a stake in Ghana Airways.