Like heads of state around the world, African presidents often fly in expensive planes with state-of-the-art technology, safety and luxury. Some of these planes can hold hundreds of people, but mainly transport just the president and his entourage. While governments argue that presidents need expensive planes for safety, the public often criticizes these jets as unnecessary government spending. Here are 8 of the most expensive.
Uhuru Kenyatta, $20 million: The president of Kenya flies a customized Fokker 70 that seats just 25 passengers. Kenyatta’s fuel efficient jet has been running for over 20 years. Kenyatta has received some criticism for government spending on his frequent foreign trips in his plane.
John Dramani Mahama, $37 million: Ghana’s president flies a three engine supersonic jet called a Falcon 900 Ex Easy that can stay airborne for 13 hours. Mahama’s younger brother, businessman Ibrahim Mahama, also owns an airplane–a Bombardier challenger 600 high-performance jet.
Jose Eduardo dos Santos, $62.5 million: The Angolan president bought a Bombardier inc Globa 6000 jet in 2015, saying it is a necessity, but he wouldn’t specify what for. The Bombardier is one of the most advanced jets in its class and takes 12 hours to fly between Moscow and Los Angeles.
Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, $166 million: The Egyptian president flies an Airbus A340 that features military security protection. The impressive plane has a wingspan of 63.45 meters (over 200 feet) and is 75 meters long (around 246 feet).
Muhammadu Buhari, $390 million: The Nigerian president flies a Boeing 737 called Eagle One that flaunts the country’s flag colors of green and white and has the seal of the president embossed on the tail. The plane is larger than three domestic airlines combined.
Robert Mugabe, $400: The president of Zimbabwe flies a Boeing 767 that can fly 858 km/h and is one of the fastest planes in Africa. Mugabe has been criticized for making costly trips on this jet, including a trip to New York in 2015 to attend a conference on Ebola.
Muammar Gaddafi, $411 million: The late former president of Libya flew an A340 that had a bedroom, showers, DVD players, and kitchen so he had a place to live for several months should chaos hit his country. He bought it from Prince al-Waleed Aziz Al-Saud–one of the richest people in the world.
Mohammed VI, $450 million: The King of Morocco flies a Boeing 747. It has meeting rooms, a movie theater, play area, pool tables and five sleeping rooms. The plane can accommodate 660 passengers and a four-engine wide-body layout for an unparalleled flying experience.
