Ghana's Defence And Environment Ministers Killed In Military Helicopter Crash

Ghana Helicopter Crash: Local television outlet Joy News aired cell phone footage from the crash site, showing the wreckage smouldering in thick forest cover earlier in the day, before the identities of the victims were confirmed.

Representational Photo: ANI

New Delhi: Ghana's defence minister Edward Omane Boamah and environment minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed were among eight people killed in a military helicopter crash on Wednesday, the presidency confirmed. The Ghana Air Force chopper, carrying three crew members and five passengers, went down in a forested area in the southern Ashanti region.

Local television outlet Joy News aired cell phone footage from the crash site, showing the wreckage smouldering in thick forest cover earlier in the day, before the identities of the victims were confirmed.

Boamah, who took charge of the defence ministry following President John Mahama’s swearing-in in January, died alongside Muhammed, 50, who was serving as minister of environment, science, and technology. Muhammed had been scheduled to attend the ongoing United Nations conference in Geneva focused on negotiating a global treaty to combat plastic pollution.

According to local reports, the helicopter had been en route to an event related to illegal mining, a pressing environmental challenge in Ghana, when it crashed. Authorities have confirmed that all individuals on board were killed.

"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," said Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff to President Mahama.

The Ghana Armed Forces stated that an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash involving the Z9 helicopter. Earlier on Wednesday, military officials had reported that the aircraft went off radar shortly after departing from Accra around 9:00 a.m. local time (0900 GMT). It was headed to the town of Obuasi, located northwest of the capital.

Among the others killed in the crash were Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Ghana's deputy national security coordinator and former agriculture minister, and Samuel Sarpong, vice chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Boamah had been leading the defence ministry at a time when Ghana faced growing concerns over security along its northern border with Burkina Faso, where jihadist activity has surged. Although Ghana has not experienced the direct spillover of extremist violence seen in neighbouring Togo and Benin, analysts have warned of increasing arms trafficking and militant infiltration from the Sahel.

A medical doctor by profession, Boamah previously held several key government roles, including communications minister during Mahama’s 2012–2017 presidency and deputy minister for environment.

Minister Muhammed had been at the forefront of Ghana’s battle against illegal gold mining, known locally as "galamsey," which has severely impacted agricultural land and water sources. The issue has significantly affected cocoa production and was a major theme during the election campaign that brought Mahama back to power last year.

This year, Ghana established the Ghana Gold Board and implemented a ban on foreign participation in the local gold trade, signaling the government's commitment to cracking down on illegal mining. Muhammed was described as a "committed environmentalist" and "deeply respected" by both African and international colleagues, said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in a statement from Geneva.

Just weeks ago, Muhammed was elected to the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) in Nairobi.

Condolences have also been expressed by leaders of the African Union and ECOWAS.

Boamah had recently led a diplomatic mission to Ouagadougou as Ghana worked to strengthen relations with Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, three countries now ruled by military juntas that have distanced themselves from ECOWAS.

He was also preparing to publish a book titled "A Peaceful Man in an African Democracy", a tribute to former President John Atta Mills, who passed away in 2012.

In response to the tragedy, President Mahama has suspended all official activities for the remainder of the week. The presidency also declared three days of national mourning beginning Thursday, during which all flags will be flown at half-mast.