Ghana’s President, John Mahama, has vowed a full and transparent investigation into a tragic military helicopter crash on Wednesday that claimed the lives of two serving ministers and six others.
The nation was plunged into mourning after Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Minister for Environment, Science and Technology Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, 50, perished alongside Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister Alhaji Muniru Mohammed and Samuel Sarpong, Vice-Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Harbin Z-9 helicopter, carrying three crew members and five passengers, went down in a dense forest in Ghana’s central Ashanti Region.
The aircraft had been en route from the capital, Accra, to Obuasi for a government event aimed at tackling illegal mining. There were no survivors.
In an emotional televised address, President Mahama described the crash as “a personal loss.”
“I shared a bond with many of those who died. Our nation is grieving,” he said.
The remains of all eight victims have been recovered and are undergoing forensic identification in South Africa. A state funeral is scheduled for 15 August.
While the cause of the crash remains unconfirmed, officials have retrieved both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. Ghana’s armed forces are leading the investigation.
Meteorological reports indicated unusually cold August weather, with recent rains and fog affecting visibility in forested areas. Local farmers reported heavy morning mist when the helicopter passed overhead.
One eyewitness told the BBC the aircraft was flying “at an unusually low altitude” in poor weather before he heard “a loud sound” followed by a “bang.” Rushing to the site, he found there were “no survivors to rescue.”
This marks the deadliest in a series of recent incidents involving Ghana Air Force helicopters. In 2020, a Harbin Z-9 made an emergency landing near Tamale Airport, and in 2024, another was forced down at Bonsukrom in the Western Region.
The government has pledged that this inquiry will be thorough, transparent, and aimed at preventing such tragedies in the future.
