Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has paid a moving tribute to the late Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, who died alongside seven others in a tragic military helicopter crash on 6th August 2025.

The ill-fated Ghana Air Force Harbin Z-9 helicopter, carrying senior government officials and party leaders, was en route to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme when it went down near Sikaman in the Ashanti Region.

The accident claimed the lives of prominent figures, including Environment Minister Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Limuna Muniru, NDC Vice Chairman Dr Samuel Sarpong, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and three Air Force officers – Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manaen Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

Paying homage to Dr Omane Boamah, Mr Iddrisu described him as “formidable, thoughtful and strategic”, a political thinker whose commitment to President John Mahama’s vision and Ghana was unwavering.

"You were a Founding Member of the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) with Kwesi Pratt, Bernard Mornah and Kwesi Adu, among others. From the night John Mahama conceded to the outcome of the 2016 elections to your untimely and tragic death in a helicopter crash, you served with unalloyed loyalty, dedication and unwavering commitment. Ghana has lost an exemplary Public Servant and son," he said.

He recalled their shared history as student leaders, political activists, and Cabinet colleagues, and lauded Dr Boamah’s pivotal role in securing the NDC’s 2024 electoral victory as the party’s Director of Elections and IT.

"As I was from 1996 to 1997 in a memorable and epoch-making tenure, Edward was also President of the National Union of Ghana Students during his student days at the University of Ghana Medical School. His efficiency and political acumen were honed from those times as he combined the demands of medical education with student politics, also serving as the Coordinating Secretary of the Federation of Ghana Medical Students Association."

He added, "Omane Boamah and I, besides being trusted and able lieutenants as Cabinet Ministers of His Excellency the President, John Dramani Mahama, share in common a number of notable roles since our respective student days. In that sense and in reality, he was a younger brother to me, and a dear one at that. I am in great pain."

The Minister lamented the cruel irony that the Defence Minister “was bereft of the defence he deserved” in his final moments and praised his leadership in confronting the scourge of illegal mining.

With deep emotion, Mr Iddrisu likened Dr Boamah’s sacrifice to that of a gallant warrior on a mission of no return, affirming that his legacy of service, loyalty and strategic brilliance will endure.

Quoting the immortal Binyon Verses, he pledged: “At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember you.”