Accra, Ghana (BN24) — Ghana’s defence and environment ministers were killed Wednesday when a military helicopter crashed, the presidency confirmed, marking a tragic loss for the West African nation’s government. The Ghana Armed Forces had reported earlier that a helicopter carrying eight people—including three crew and five passengers—disappeared from radar shortly after departing Accra at around 9 a.m. The chopper was en route to Obuasi, northwest of the capital.
Among those on board were Edward Omane Boamah, who was appointed defence minister earlier this year by President John Mahama, and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, serving as minister of environment, science and technology. The crash also claimed the lives of Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Ghana’s deputy national security coordinator and former agriculture minister, as well as Samuel Sarpong, vice chairman of Mahama’s National Democratic Congress party.
“The president and government extend our deepest condolences and sympathies to the families of our comrades and servicemen who died in service to the country,” said Mahama’s chief of staff, Julius Debrah.
Boamah’s tenure as defence minister coincided with growing concerns about escalating jihadist activity along Ghana’s northern border with Burkina Faso. While Ghana has largely avoided direct spillover from Sahel-based militant groups, experts have warned of increased arms trafficking and cross-border movement of militants using Ghana as a strategic rear base. Boamah, a medical doctor by training, previously served as communications minister during Mahama’s 2012-2017 administration and was deputy minister for environment before that.
In recent months, Ghana has intensified diplomatic efforts with neighboring countries governed by military juntas, including Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, all of which have distanced themselves from the ECOWAS regional bloc. In May, Boamah led a delegation to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital, as part of this diplomatic engagement.
The presidency announced that all national flags would be flown at half-staff and that President Mahama had canceled official engagements for the day in mourning. Boamah had been preparing to publish a book titled “A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy,” dedicated to former Ghanaian president John Atta Mills, who passed away in 2012.
