Ethiopia Airlines joins others to ban ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bags

Travellers are likely to be rejected for using ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags ( matted woven bags ) as Ethiopian Airlines joins a list of other international airline companies to ban the use of the bags.

The Ethiopian Airline Manager of Airport Services, Henok Gizachew, issued the latest directive addressed to the Regional Manager of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

In a letter dated November 24, 2023, the airline company said:

“The use of ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ [bags] as a means of packing baggage has cost the airlines huge loss and also damaging the converyor belt system, not only on our flight but also on other foreign airlines, hence the prohibition”.

However, the airliner indicated that passengers could be allowed to board their flights if only the ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags were securely wrapped in a rectangular hardcover carton.

“Please be informed that effective November 25, 2023, the usage of Ghana-Must-Go to travel on our flight is hereby prohibited,” the letter added.

Ethiopian Airlines is not the only company to ban ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags.

The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA) was compelled to take action against KLM and Air France in 2017 after the two placed a ban on the use of the bags in 2017.

Prior to that, the bags were also banned in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

Authorities at the Dubai International Airport explained the bags could disrupt baggage systems, which they said could lead to delays in delivery of baggage to the aircraft and inconvenience customers.

‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bags

The ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ moniker was given to the sack-like bag in 1983 when Nigeria forcibly asked over two million undocumented migrants from West Africa to return to their countries, of whom half were from Ghana.

The checked bags that many of the expelled Ghanaians filled with belongings later became known as ‘Ghana-Must-Go’ bag’.

The ‘Ghana‘-Must-Go’ bags were simple, inexpensive bags. They were different sizes and colours.