Ghana was thrown into mourning on Wednesday following the tragic deaths of two senior government ministers in a military helicopter crash. Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were confirmed dead, along with six others onboard, after the chopper vanished from radar hours earlier.
The Ghanaian Armed Forces had reported the helicopter, which departed from Accra around 9:00 a.m., missing en route to Obuasi. It carried three crew members and five passengers — among them Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Ghana’s Deputy National Security Coordinator and ex-Agriculture Minister, and Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
President John Mahama's Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, confirmed the fatalities in a statement, extending "deep condolences" to the families and praising the deceased for their service to the nation.
Boamah, a trained medical doctor and former communications minister, was appointed defence minister earlier this year. His tenure coincided with rising insecurity along Ghana’s northern border with Burkina Faso, where jihadist insurgents have increased regional tensions.
In May, Boamah led a diplomatic mission to Ouagadougou as Ghana engaged Sahel nations — including military juntas in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger — amid shifting regional alliances.
Flags across Ghana have been ordered to fly at half-mast, and President Mahama has suspended official duties in honour of the victims.
Boamah was set to launch a book titled “A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy,” a tribute to the late President John Atta Mills.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
