Ghana is in mourning following the deaths of two cabinet ministers and several others in a tragic military helicopter crash on Wednesday.
The Ghanaian presidency confirmed the incident, which claimed the lives of Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, among others.
The Ghana Armed Forces earlier reported that an air force helicopter carrying five passengers and three crew members went off radar shortly after departing Accra around 9:00 am.
The aircraft was en route to Obuasi, a town northwest of the capital.
All eight people on board were confirmed dead in the crash, authorities said.
President John Mahama’s chief of staff, Julius Debrah, expressed the government’s sorrow in a statement.
“The president and government extend our condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and the servicemen who died in service to the country.”
Edward Omane Boamah, a medical doctor by profession, was appointed defence minister earlier this year following Mahama’s return to office in January.
He previously held roles as communications minister and deputy environment minister during Mahama’s 2012–2017 administration.
Boamah had taken the helm of the defence ministry amid rising regional insecurity, as Ghana continues to face the threat of jihadist activity spilling over from neighbouring Burkina Faso.
Though Ghana has largely avoided direct attacks, security analysts have warned of increased arms trafficking and militant infiltration through its northern border.
Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed was serving as Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology at the time of the crash.
Also among the victims were Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, the deputy national security coordinator and a former agriculture minister, and Samuel Sarpong, vice chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The Ghanaian military has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash.
