Ghana’s Minister of Defence, Environment, 6 Others Confirmed Dead In Military Helicopter Crash

Ghana’s Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed and six others have died in a military helicopter crash en route to Obuasi, Ashanti Region, during an official assignment.

Chief of Staff Julius Debrah confirmed in a statement that all national flags are to fly at half-mast until further notice in honour of the public servants who died in the line of duty.

The incident, which occurred under yet-to-be-determined circumstances, has sent shockwaves across the nation and left a void at the highest levels of government. Dr. Omane Boamah was more than Ghana’s Minister of Defence; before his death, he had been involved in the effort to pacify Bawku, a town in the Upper East Region besieged by renewed ethnic violence since December 2024.

The conflict, rooted in a decades-long chieftaincy dispute between the Kusasi and Mamprusi communities, had led to numerous deaths and displaced families. In January 2025, he joined President John Dramani Mahama on a visit to Bawku to meet with affected residents, security forces, and traditional leaders.

In February, he chaired a high-level meeting with the Interior Minister, the Chief of Defence Staff, and Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga to chart a path forward. The roadmap he unveiled prioritised a careful blend of military presence, traditional diplomacy, and community-based dialogue.

Read Also: A Coordinated Plot to Destabilise West Africa? Signs Point to a Growing Threat

Boamah has been instrumental to Ghana’s growing engagement with the Sahel region—Confederation of Sahel States. He fostered cordial relations with Burkina Faso and showed an understanding of the interconnected threats facing West Africa, from terrorism to human trafficking. Through his outreach to the CSS, he sought to position Ghana not only as a neutral partner but as a bridge-builder in a region often plagued by mistrust and isolation.

Aside from its role in West Africa, the Ghanaian government recently donated 40 metric tonnes of premium Golden Tree cocoa products to Palestine as a humanitarian gesture amid the Gaza crisis. Presented at Jubilee House on August 1, 2025, President John Mahama described the gift as both symbolic and practical, reflecting Ghana’s solidarity and enduring friendship with the Palestinian people.

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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