Senior Editor at 3FM, Dzifa Bampoh has said that, over the years, Ghanaians have been denied the opportunity to know details with regard to the cost of presidential travels.

According to her, the cost of presidential travels, which is paid for with tax payer’s money, has been shrouded in an opaque curtain, thus defeating the tenets of transparency and accountability that government owes to the people it governs.

“I think one of the things we have never had is full disclosure and transparency on expenses when it comes to travel. So I guess we need more information about what informed the President’s decision to settle on such an alarming travel cost,” Dzifa Bampoh stated.

She was speaking to Sampson Lardy Anyenini on Newsfile, Saturday, May 29 concerning the recent trip by President Akufo-Addo to France, Belgium and South Africa. She stated that, had it not been for the North Tongu MP, Okudzeto Ablakwa’s revelation, the government’s ostentatious spending of £345,000 to rent a Private jet for ten days, would have gone unheard.

This, she contends, goes contrary to President Akufo-Addo’s promise, at the beginning of his presidency, to minimize non-essential travel and the purchase of extravagant cars among others.

Some citizens have been expecting a reaction from the presidency on the matter, but Dzifa Bampoh said the President cannot be directly asked to answer questions pertaining to his traveling expenses.

She opined that it was rather appropriate for the Defence Minister to answer such questions.

“I think we need to know that once an urgent question has been filed and the Defence Minister is going to answer that, then it would not be exactly appropriate to hear from the Presidency at this point.

“If the Defense Minister answers, and we are not satisfied, then we can ask the presidency to explain further,” She said.

The Senior Editor further intimated that the government’s lavish spending during such a period of austerity painted a bad image of government.