The Minority in Parliament has mounted pressure on President John Dramani Mahama to appoint substantive ministers to the Ministries of Defence and Environment following the death of the two former sector ministers in a helicopter crash last year.

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin made the call on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday as the House resumed sittings for the ninth session.

"Outside this chamber, the situation is harsher, a nation without two important ministers. It has been months since the tragic helicopter crash took our ministers for defence and environment. Those vital ministries remain without substantive leadership."

"We demand that Mr President nominate these ministers to mount these ministries," Mr Afenyo-Markin said.

Currently, the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, is serving as Acting Minister for Defence, while the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Armah Kofi Buah, is acting as Minister for the Environment.

• Read also: Ghana’s Defence Minister, 7 others die in tragic helicopter crash

However, the Minority has expressed opposition to this arrangement, "It is not enough to have the Minister of Finance with a huge responsibility also taking up the ministry of defence," Afenyo-Markin argued.

The call follows a tragic helicopter crash last year that claimed the lives of the Ministers for Defence and Environment, including five others.

• Read more: Full findings on August 6 helicopter crash

The helicopter was on an official assignment when it went down, resulting in the deaths of all occupants on board.

Since the tragedy, the two ministries have been overseen on an acting basis, a situation the Minority argues cannot be sustained indefinitely without undermining efficiency and accountability.

In November 2025, the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIB Ghana), led by the National Security Coordinator, COP Abdul-Razak Osman, and nine other members, three months after the tragic Z-9 helicopter crash, released the full investigation report and findings into the incident.