The Ghana Armed Forces on Tuesday observed the maiden annual memorial public lecture in honour of the late Defence Minister Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah at the Burma Camp in Accra.

Dr Omane Boamah and seven other public officials lost their lives in a military helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region on August 6th, 2025, while on a national assignment.

Among the dignitaries that grace the maiden annual memorial public lecture were Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Dr Julius Debrah, Chief of Staff at the Presidency and Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Finance Minister and Acting Defence Minister.

Also in attendance were service chiefs and old students from the Pope John Senior High School and Junior Seminary, Koforidua where the late Defence Minister schooled.

The maiden public lecture, which was chaired by Nana Dr Emmanuel Adu-Sarkodee, the President of the Ghana Employers’ Association and Akwamu Manwerehene, had two main speakers.

Reverend Father Dr Ebenezer Akesseh, the Parish Priest of Christ the King Parish of the Catholic Church, Accra, delivered the first lecture on the topic “Selfless Leadership in Public Service: Lessons from the Life and Legacy of the late Dr Omane Boamah”.

Whereas Professor Kwasi Appeaning Addo, a former Director of the Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies, Department of Marine and Fisheries Science, University of Ghana, delivered the second lecture on the topic “Accra Beyond the Floods: Rethinking Enforcement, Urban Planning and Community Resilience”.

Rev. Dr Akesseh in his presentation described public service as a vocation and a divine calling to serve humanity rather than a profession pursued for personal gain.

He reiterated that the late Dr Omane Boamah exemplified servant leadership by dedicating his talents, medical expertise and political career to the service of Ghana, adding that Dr Omane Boamah consistently placed the needs of others above his own interests.

Rev. Dr Akesseh cited an instance where the late minister interrupted his journey to personally assist a woman in distress and ensured she received urgent medical care, demonstrating that compassion must always be accompanied by action.

He said Dr Omane Boamah viewed leadership as a moral responsibility rooted in integrity, humility and accountability; declaring that throughout his career, the late Dr Boamah earned the trust of his colleagues and the public by remaining transparent, rejecting corruption and making decisions based on national interest rather than personal or political advantage.

Prof. Addo in his presentation made a call to action for the Accra Beyond the Floods Equation, saying in honouring the legacy of the late Defence Minister, a climate resilient Accra could be realised by combining disciplined urban order with progressive engineering.

This would secure the capital against flood disaster, building on its early foundational work, by leading national environmental investigations and tree planting campaigns, the vision to transition Accra from reactive crisis management to a highly regulated sustainable city, he said.

He stressed that the proposed Accra flood resilience strategy could integrate natural infrastructure; AI driven enforcement and community led action to transition into a secure and sustainable capital.

Prof. Addo said the transformation of Ghana’s capital from a flood prone city to a climate resilient one, could not be achieved through isolated efforts, but required a unified front where policy, tradition, advocacy and civic duty intersected to secure the city’s future.

“The mandate for each stakeholder group is clear and immediate. To our policy makers, please lead with courage and integrity and enforce without fear or favor. Utilise the digital planning and GIS mapping to permanently lock out unauthorized construction in our towers,” he said.

He urged the nation’s traditional leaders to protect natural purpose by acting as strong custodians of their lands, refusing the sale of wetlands and flood plains to developers, to ensure social accountability, ensuring that ecological zoning laws were respected at every local level.

Prof. Addo encouraged civil society and the media to champion truth and equity, as well as maintain continuous independence oversight on the prosecution of corrupt planning officials.

He also urged them to drive public education by keeping climate adaptation and waste management sensitisation at the forefront of public discourse.

“To our citizens, stop the practice of damping solid and plastic waste into their dreams. Take active charge of your neighborhood’s cleanliness,” calling on people to volunteer as community-led early warning and disaster response teams, refusing the purchase of land in flood plains.

He appealed to them to act as whistle blowers on illegal development that threatened their community’s safety; declaring that this was their collective action.

Prof. Addo stated that “either we continue down the path of a chaotic expansion and recurrent disaster, or we can choose the path of structural discipline, environmental harmony and systemic progress,” calling on all to collaborate to build a proud order.