Ghana's Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane-Boamah, has died in a tragic helicopter crash in the morning of Wednesday, August 6.

The helicopter carrying a crew of three and five passengers, crashed and burned to ashes in a wooded area of Adansi Sikaman in the Ashanti Region. The Ghana Armed Forces reported that the chopper, a Z9, had taken off at 0912hrs from Accra and was heading for Obuasi.

All eight persons on board, including the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, who was Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency in the Northern Region, died. 

The eight who died

1. Dr Edward Omane Boamah - Minister for Defence
2. ⁠Alhaji Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed - Minister for Environment
3. ⁠Alhaji Muniru Mohammed - Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator
4. ⁠Dr Samuel Sarpong - Vice Chairman, NDC
5. ⁠Mr Samuel Aboagye - Former Parliamentary candidate
6. ⁠Squadron Leader Peter Bafimi Anala
7. ⁠Flying Officer Twum Ampadu
8. ⁠Sergeant Ernest Addo

Profile of Edward Kofi Omane Boamah:

1. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah - until his death was serving as Minister for Defence and is a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
2. He previously held roles as Minister for Communications and Presidential Spokesperson under President John Dramani Mahama.
3. He trained as a medical doctor at the University of Ghana Medical School and holds a master’s degree in Health Policy Planning and Financing from the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
4. As a student, he served as President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and Coordinating Secretary of the Federation of Ghana Medical Students Association (FGMSA).
5. From 2009 to 2012, he was Deputy Minister for Environment, Science and Technology and chaired investigations into major environmental incidents involving KOSMOS Energy and Newmont Ghana Gold Limited.
6. He was also Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports from 2012 to 2013 under President John Evans Atta Mills.
7. Appointed as Minister for Communications in 2013, he championed cyber safety initiatives, particularly focusing on child online protection.
8. He helped establish Ghana’s National Computer Emergency Response Team and a committee to develop a national framework for online child protection.
9. As a medical professional, Boamah participated in WHO-led immunisation monitoring in 2004 and assisted in rescue efforts during Ghana’s May 9 Stadium Disaster in 2001.
10. After the NDC lost power in 2016, he returned to medical practice at Afrah International Hospital.