African Countries Without Presidential Jets

As of 2024, several African nations have invested in presidential aircraft, symbolizing national pride while also allowing their leaders to travel more efficiently. However, other governments have chosen not to indulge in this luxury, instead focusing on alternate uses for their resources.

We bring to you an updated list of African countries without presidential jets, the leaders of these African countries make use of either charter private planes or commercial airlines when on foreign trips.

Also read: Minimum Wage Of African Countries In 2024

List of African Countries without Presidential Jets

Let’s see below the list of African countries without presidential jets

#1. Burundi

Burundi is forced to rely on commercial planes for official travel as a result of the country’s economic constraints and political disputes.

In 2015, a Gulfstream IV was operated by the Burundi government. The Spanish government has put this on inactive status after selling it to a commercial operator. For official business, the government now flies on private and commercial planes.

Burundi has a GDP of $3.23 billion in 2023.

#2. Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)

Cabo Verde is another African nation that doesn’t currently operate a presidential jet. The government travels on either commercial or private aircraft.

Cabo Verde’s GDP in 2023 was $2.598 billion

#3. Central African Republic

Government officials hold positions of authority inside the Central African Republic and the president typically fly on either commercial or private planes. A commercial Air France Boeing 777 was the mode of transportation that President Faustin-Archange Touadéra utilized on his trip to Beijing for the Forum on China–Africa Cooperation summit.

According to the World Bank, the Central African Republic is one of the world’s poorest countries and has significant human capital struggles. According to the most recent projections from 2020, over 71% of the population lives below the international poverty line ($1.90 per day, in terms of PPP).

#4. Comoros

For international travelling, the government of Comoros hires private aircraft or VIP planes from other countries. A Nigerian 737-BBJ, for instance, was used to transport a delegation to Russia for the 2019 Africa Summit.

Comoros 2024 population estimate is 1,000 000 with a total GDP (nominal) of $1.364 billion in 2023.

#5. Eritrea

Eritrea is a country in northeast Africa that lies on the coast of the Red Sea. Along with Ethiopia, Sudan, and Djibouti, it shares borders. Asmara is the capital city.

The government of Eritrea does not have presidential jet, they make use of private jets for travel.

#6. Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a country with population of about 123.4 million according to World Bank,

and a gross domestic product of 126.8 billion USD in 2022.

The government of Ethiopia does not have a presidential jet, the president uses various aircraft from Ethiopian Airlines for travel.

#7. Gambia

In 2015, the government of Gambia used a Boeing 727 and a Bombardier Challenger.,but they are no longer in used now because they have been grounded.

The government of Gambia no longer have presidential jet, they make used of private planes.

Gambia population in 2022 was 2.706 million with a GDP of 2.187 billion USD in 2022.

#8. Guinea-Bissau

Despite the fact that the government does not possess its own private jet, it was recently seen that the president was travelling abroad in a Ghanaian Dassault Falcon 900 and an Ivory Coast Gulfstream.

In addition, both private and commercial airplanes have been used for travel purposes by the president and senior government officials of Guinea-Bissau

Guinea-Bissau has a population of 2.106 million in 2022 according to data from World Bank

#9. Lesotho

Situated between its larger neighbour, South Africa, and a small mountainous landmass, Lesotho is landlocked. There are almost two million people living there, and in 2022, their GDP per capita was $999.7. Lesotho is a country that falls within the lower middle income bracket.

For transportation purposes, the government of Lesotho makes use of turboprop, commercial, or private aircraft.

#10. Madagascar

Lying in the Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Africa, the fifth-largest island in the world is Madagascar.  Though its population is projected to reach 30.3 million in 2023, a persistently high poverty rate of 80.7%, or $2.15 per person per day, would be a major problem in Madagascar

A Boeing 737-300 was used by the government of Madagascar in the year 2015. The use of that was discontinued, and they now make use of either commercial or private aircraft.

#11. Malawi

A Dassault Falcon 900 was used by the government while Bingu wa Mutharika was serving as president of the Malawi government. Joyce Banda, the new president, sold it after his death in 2012 so that the proceeds may be used to help those who are poor. Currently, the President of Malawi travels outside of the country using chartered aircraft.

#12. Mauritius

The Government of Mauritius does not have a presidential jet. When it comes to travel, the government typically makes use of either commercial or private aircraft.

Mauritius has a population of 1.263 million in 2022 and $11.263 billion nominal GDP in 2022.

#13. Rwanda

As a means of transportation, the Rwandan government makes use of a  lease Qatar Executive Gulfstream G650ER, which is designated with the callsign “QQE.”

The Rwandan government does not have a presidential jet.

Rwandan has an estimated population of 14,422,063 million people in 2024 and a GDP of 13.31 billion USD in 2022.

#14. São Tomé and Príncipe

The government of São Tomé and Príncipe uses commercial aircraft for travel because they do not have presidential jet.

The Gross domestic product of São Tomé and Príncipe was 542.7 million USD as of 2022 and the country has a population of 236,381.

#15. Seychelles

The government of Seychelles does not have a presidential jet, for travel purposes, the government makes use of commercial airplanes. In specifically, President Wavel Ramkalawan used a Beechcraft 1900D (registration number S7-DES) manufactured by IDC Aviation (Islands Development Company) during a state visit to Mauritius in November 2020.

Seychelles has a population of 119,878 in 2022, and a GDP of 1.588 billion USD in 2022 according to World Bank.

#16. Sierra Leone

Commercial or private aircraft are used for travel by the government of Sierra Leone. Additionally, it is well known that they fly on VIP aircraft belonging to other nations.

Sierra Leone has a population of 8.606 million in 2022 and a 4.095 billion USD GDP in same year.

#17. Somalia

A Beechcraft 1900 turboprop that was used by the Somali government that has since been scrapped. At this time, the government of Somalia does not have a presidential jet, they make use of either private or commercial aircraft, or they make use of national aircraft from other nations.

Somalia had a population of population: 17.6 million as of 2022 and a GDP of 10.42 billion USD in the same year.

#18. South Sudan

Due to the fact that both RwandAir and Kenya Airways have strong ties with South Sudan, the government is now using their services to charter airplanes of their respective airlines.

Attempts were made to acquire a presidential plane that would be designated for the president, but these efforts were greeted with opposition from political parties.

As of 2022, the population of South Sudan was 10.91 million, and its GDP was 12 billion USD in 2015 according to World Bank.

#19. Togo

Different aircrafts, including a Boeing 707, a Douglas DC-8-55, a Gulfstream II, and a Fokker F-28-1000, were used by the Togolese government in the past for the purpose of traveling.

All of these aircraft have been grounded or retired, and the government now relies on private aircraft, specifically a Dassault Falcon 8X that is registered in Burkina Faso and an Airbus A318.

With a population of 8,848,699 people, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita in Togo was $892 in 2022, representing a rise of 3.4% in GDP per capita. This reflects an increase of $29 from the previous year’s figure of $863 and a nominal GDP of $8,126,439,481.

#20. Nigeria

The Government of Nigeria has numerous aircraft on its fleet, although some are no longer in use, and the government is planning on acquiring another presidential jet which created heated debates among the Nigerian citizens.

For the time being, the Nigerian Air Force is responsible for maintaining a Boeing Business Jet (737) with the registration number 5N-FGT as the primary mode of transportation for the President of Nigeria.

“Eagle One” is the name of the aircraft, and its registration number is NAF-001. Moreover, there is a Gulfstream V-SP registered 5N-FGS, a Gulfstream 550 registered 5N-FGW, two Falcon 7X registered 5N-FGV and 5N-FGU, a Dornier 228 and three A139 helicopters. 

The Bombardier Challenger 605 registered as 5N-FGZ is another aircraft in the fleet.

However, the Presidential Guard Brigade put an end to the destruction of two Falcon 900s, a GIV-SP, and a G II. All of these aircraft were destroyed.

It was determined that a Hawker 800 and a Citation Bravo were returned to the Air Force.

In the event that it is transporting the President, the Boeing 737 bears the callsign NGR1.

Nigeria has a population of 218.5 million in 2022 and GDP of 472.6 billion USD according to World Bank data.

Which Country In Africa Has More Private Jets?

Nigeria holding the record of a country with the highest private jet ownership in Africa according to Business News,

There is an incredibly wealthy elite in Nigeria that own more private jets than any other nation, despite the fact that the typical Nigerian lives on less than $1 per day. This elite group includes bankers, politicians, preachers, and oil magnates.

Which Countries Do Not Have Their Own Airlines?

So countries do not have their national airlines, which means all airlines operating in such countries are owned by private individuals and corporation.

Let’s see the list of countries without national airlines below:

1. Nigeria
2. Andorra
3. Barbados
4. Liberia
5. Guinea-Bissau
6. Vatican City
7. Liberia
8. United State
9. Liechtenstein
10. Tuvalu
11. Micronesia
12. San Marino
13. Monaco

Conclusion: African Countries Without Presidential Jets

We’ve talked about the interesting fact that some African countries don’t have presidential planes. Many people think that presidential jets are a sign of wealth and power, but some African countries have chosen more useful and cost-effective ways to get around.

These countries have shown that leadership and honor are not just about having fancy jets by taking steps to cut costs and relying on commercial planes.

We’ve seen that countries like Burundi, South Sudan, Togo and Sierra Leone have chosen to put the needs of their citizens ahead of spending a lot of money on presidential jets. Other countries can learn from what they did and decide to do the same.

In a region like Africa, where managing resources well is very important, the fact that these countries don’t have presidential jets shows how creative and responsible their leaders are.

As time goes on, it will be interesting to see if this trend continues and leads to a new age of responsible government across Africa.