The management and students of Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary in the Eastern region have held a requiem mass in memory of the late Dr Edward Omane Boamah.

He was a proud alumnus of the school and Ghana’s Minister for Defence, who tragically died in a helicopter crash on Wednesday, August 6, which claimed eight lives.

Dr Boamah, one of eight people who perished in the military crash in the Ashanti Region, visited the school just last month as the guest speaker at its 67th Anniversary celebration. His untimely death has deeply affected the school community.

One of the old boys of the school, a Court of Appeal Judge and Director of the Ghana School of Law, Barimah Nana Yaw Oppong Kodie, attended the mass and paid tribute to his late junior colleague.

The Headmaster of Pope John SHS, Rev Father Benjamin Opoku Ohene, shared how Dr Boamah remained committed to the school over the years and made significant efforts to support its development.

“He has been giving back to his alma mater almost every time,” he said. “When the NDC was in power and he was Minister for Communications, he did a lot for the school. And even after becoming Minister for Defence, he continued to support us.”

He praised Dr Omane Boamah for personally overseeing the asphalt overlay from the St Joseph Hospital junction down to the school, which also benefited the hospital.

The Headmaster further revealed that during his recent visit, Dr Omane Boamah expressed concern about the deplorable state of the school’s science laboratory, which had been an unfinished project.

“He linked me to the administrator of GetFund, and shortly after that, officials from GetFund came to assess the science lab and the visual arts studio. They spent almost the whole day with us.”

“We are using this medium to appeal to the administrator of GetFund to complete this project in honour of their good friend and our good friend, Dr Omane Boamah.”

He also mentioned additional projects Dr Omane Boamah promised to support, including the provision of a school bus and the completion of the school’s assembly hall, which is currently about 70–80% done.

Recalling their recent interaction during the anniversary event, he said, “Just about a month ago, we were here for the old students' homecoming and speech and prize-giving day. I met him, we had a chat, and I told myself. 'This is a very unique person.' He has never changed. Even as Minister for Defence, he remained humble and respectful.”

He also praised Dr Omane Boamah’s generosity and contributions to the school.

“I just got to know that apart from helping with the road project to the school, he had done so much more for the students. Things most of us didn’t even know about. You cannot quantify what he has done in monetary terms. It's a big loss to the nation, to the president, to his family, and to us who knew him from childhood.”

The school’s Senior Prefect, as well as other students, also shared their thoughts on Dr Omane Boamah’s life and legacy.

“I knew Dr Edward Omane Boamah during the speech and prize-giving day. He was a patriotic leader, and as a student leader myself, I’m inspired to follow in his footsteps,” he said. “His death has seriously affected us as a community.”

He noted that Dr Boamah had made promises to support the school's science lab renovation and assembly hall project and even pledged to sponsor a Visual Arts student who drew a portrait of him.

“His patriotism and his spirit of giving have taught us a lot. Even in his death, he was on a mission to serve the country. That alone motivates me and my mates to also serve Ghana as he did.”

The Assistant School Prefect also recalled the inspiration he drew from the minister's recent speech.

“One line from what he said stuck with me: ‘We should build bridges so others should make it through us.’ That touched me. He came here not just as a minister but to give back and to inspire us.”

He described Dr Omane Boamah as “a powerful and patriotic leader” whose presence at the school had a lasting impact.

“His death has been a very painful one. We’ve learned from him the values of patriotism and the spirit of giving.”

"What I’ve learned from him is to be patriotic. We must remember our roots; our home will always be our home,” he said.