Alexander Afenyo-Markin, Minority Leader in Parliament, has criticised President John Mahama’s use of a helicopter to assess the June 29 floods.
The Minority leader questioned why President John Mahama has not visited flood-affected communities.
According to Afenyo-Markin, Ghanaians only saw John Mahama comfortably in the helicopter in the name of surveying while people were suffering in their homes.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on July 7, 2026, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin stated, “We have not seen the president visiting families. We saw him in the air. We saw him in the helicopter”.
“Those who lost their lives, we have not seen any government official reaching out to them, their families, those who lost property. We have not seen any action from the government. What we know is that the president was comfortably in the helicopter in the name of surveying, finding out. But the people who suffered are in their homes”.
He further added, “ Is the government taking data of those who suffered? My own Winneba Effutu six communities were submerged. I have interacted with the Chiefs and people; they are in pain. The roads have been cut off; they cannot go to their farms; that is the reality.
“I hold the view that beyond the optics, the government must show serious action,” he said.
Also, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, the Managing Editor of The Insight Newspaper, has critiqued President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to inspect flood-hit areas in Accra from a helicopter.
According to Kwesi Pratt, the aesthetics of President Mahama flying in a helicopter to access June 29 flood devastation was not the best.
Kwesi Pratt argued that Mahama could have better demonstrated empathy by visiting victims in person rather than observing the situation from the air.
He further argued that a helicopter tour could not provide scientific solutions to the country’s flooding problem.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on July 1, 2026, Kwesi Pratt stated, “Yesterday, or two days ago, the President decided to go on a helicopter trip around the flooded areas to assess the damage. Now, I know the President to be a historian and a journalist.
His trip is not likely to produce a scientific outcome. This helicopter trip is not likely to produce a scientific outcome for the problems that the people of this country are confronted with.it showed some empathy, but I would have thought that would be better displayed if he was walking on the ground, touching people, getting into affected homes, lifting babies and so on; the empathy would have been better expressed than flying around the flooded city in a helicopter”.
Kwesi Pratt added, “I don’t think that the aesthetics are good enough in a situation where you have this massive flooding, and your leaders are in helicopters flying over you. But that has been done; at least it showed some level of concern, even though the aesthetics do not appear to be excellent”.
Their comments comes on the heels of President John Dramani Mahama, who conducted an aerial inspection of flood-hit areas in the nation’s capital, Accra, following the heavy downpour on Sunday, June 28, 2026, to Monday, June 29, 2026.
In the viral video, President Mahama was spotted with a worried look as he watched the devastating effects caused by the heavy downpour.
President Mahama, in the video, pointed out some structures, which, according to him, were in the way of the floodwater and had to be removed.
The Minister for Works and Housing, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, the Director-General of Ghana’s National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Dr Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, and Deputy Chief of Staff Stan Dogbe, who is also the Chairman of the government’s Anti-Flood Taskforce, were all spotted alongside Mahama during the aerial inspection of Accra’s flooded areas.
Watch the video below:
