Ghana Should Partner Ryanair To Set up A Pan-African Low-Cost Carrier

A young acquintance of mine observed recently that  he had the distinct impression that our hard-of-hearing politicians never learn from  past mistakes made by their predecessors in office. And how right he is.

When Ghana Airways was deliberately  killed off,  to enable its assets to be bought cheaply by a well-connected few during the Kufuor-era, yet another group of influential individuals, then profiting mightily from President Kufuor's golden-age-of-business-for-a-favoured-few, also spotted an opportunity to milk Ghana dry - and Ghana International Airlines (GIA) was born.


Alas,  both airlines were plagued by not-so-good management - and endless interference by politicians in their operations. That never-ending meddling by politicians  doomed both  airlines - leading to their demise.

It is said that our  rulers today also dream of setting up a national airline. The genius who is the sector minister whose ministry has responsibilty  for the airline industry, is apparently about to appoint "a transaction advisor" (who might or might not  take advantage of Mother Ghana), to help the government take the necessary steps to enable it realise its goal.

 Well, one hopes that for once, the national interest - as opposed to the greedy ambitions of a powerful few - will guide the regime currently in power, as it goes about the business of setting up a new national carrier. Hmm, Ghana - eyeasem o.

If the government wants to get it right this time round, here are a few tips from a humble old man who loves Ghana passionately:  to begin with, let them secure bilateral air agreements with all the member-states  of the African Union.

That will give them considerable leverage in any negotiations for a partnership agreement with a potential partner - as it delivers a one-open-sky across the continent for the partnership.

Let them also remember that an  airline offering point-to-point travel between major cities across the continent meets a vital  need in today's Africa - which is why any airline offering safe air travel across Africa has bright prospects.

And whatever it does, the current government must ensure that the business model of the new national carrier, will be the low-cost model.  If they want an airline in which the government of Ghana has a stake, and that will be efficiently run as well as profitable, then let them invite Ryanair's Michael O'Leary to Accra for talks about a partnership between Ghana and Ryanair to set up a pan-African airline,  offering safe and well-maintained  aircraft to satisfy the wanderlust bug that seems to have infected so many of the continent's fast-expanding middle-classes - leading them to crisscross the continent in search of  business and pleasure.

 Mr. O'Leary (whom they can reach through Tullow Oil's founder,  Idan Heavey, a fellow Irishman) will make a perfect partner for Ghana. He must be made aware of the fact that his great rival, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, Easyjet's founder, is setting up a pan-African airline, Fastjet, using the low-cost model. There is no question that a partnership between Ryanair and Ghana, will take a huge chunk of the passenger traffic from Europe and north America to Africa and vice versa - if the low-cost business model is adopted by the partnership.

Above all, we will have the opportunity to honour sister nations across the continent,  by naming the partnership's  aircraft after them - generating priceless  goodwill for the partnership. Well, one hopes that  the Hon. Dzifa Attivor will pay heed to one's two-pesewa widow's-mite contribution to the  nation-building effort - by opting for the low-cost business model for the new national airline, whenever it is established. A word to the wise...