Ghana’s Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, and Environment, Science, and Technology Minister, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, were among eight people killed in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on August 6, 2025, as confirmed by Chief of Staff Julius Debrah in a press conference. The Ghana Armed Forces’ Z-9 helicopter, carrying three crew members and five passengers, lost radar contact shortly after departing Accra for Obuasi around 9:00 a.m., with wreckage later found in a forested area. The crash, described as a “national tragedy” by Debrah, also claimed the lives of Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and crew members Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Initial reports from the Ghana Armed Forces, via spokesperson Captain Veronica Adzo Arhin, indicated efforts to trace the helicopter after it vanished from radar, with eyewitnesses in Obuasi reporting the aircraft burned beyond recognition. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with authorities yet to release further details, though the helicopter was reportedly en route to an event addressing illegal mining, a pressing environmental issue in Ghana. President John Mahama’s administration has ordered flags to fly at half-mast until further notice, and condolences have been extended to the victims’ families.
