The government has announced a series of national activities to commemorate the first anniversary of the August 6, 2025 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight distinguished Ghanaians, including two cabinet ministers and three military personnel.
In a statement issued on Thursday, July 30, the Minister for Government Communications and Presidential Spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said the commemorative events will honour the memory, service and sacrifice of the victims, collectively referred to as the “Departed Eight.”
The commemoration began on Thursday, July 30, with the official presentation of the State’s support package to the bereaved families, including compensation payments, healthcare coverage and educational trust funds for the children of the deceased.
On Tuesday, August 4, the Ministry of Defence and the Pope John Senior High School Old Boys Association (POJOBA) will organise the Dr Edward Omane Boamah Memorial Lecture at Burma Hall, Burma Camp, beginning at 2:00 p.m. The event is open to the public.
A National Inter-Faith Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, August 6, at the UPSA Auditorium in Madina, Accra, from 8:30 a.m. President John Dramani Mahama, who is Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, and Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, who chairs the Armed Forces Council, are expected to attend.
Later that day, at 4:00 p.m., the Ministry of Defence will unveil a memorial cenotaph in honour of the victims. Attendance will be by invitation.
The commemoration will conclude on Saturday, August 7, with the “Service to the Soul” Nationwide Blood Donation Drive at all district, regional and teaching hospitals, the 37 Military Hospital and other designated centres across the country.
The tragedy
The Z-9EH military helicopter (tail number GHF 631), operated by the Ghana Air Force, departed Accra at approximately 9:12 a.m. on August 6, 2025, en route to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region for an event aimed at combating illegal mining. The aircraft went off radar and later crashed in the Dampia Range Forest Reserve near Antoakrom in the Amansie West District, killing all eight people on board.
An official investigation attributed the crash to a sudden downdraft and poor weather conditions over hilly terrain. The aircraft lost altitude without a change in power or pitch attitude — consistent with a downdraft linked to changing weather conditions over high terrain — and struck a ridgeline at about 1,370 feet above sea level.
The investigation found no evidence of mechanical fault, human error or medical impairment. The helicopter was in good working condition and met all basic safety requirements, though it lacked advanced systems such as terrain awareness and warning equipment.
The Departed Eight
The victims were:
· Dr Edward Omane Boamah – Minister for Defence
· Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed – Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation
· Alhaji Muniru Mohammed – Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator
· Dr Samuel Sarpong – National First Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and former Ashanti Regional Minister
· Samuel Aboagye – Former Parliamentary Candidate for Obuasi East and Deputy Director-General of NADMO
· Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala – Ghana Air Force
· Flying Officer Manaen Twum-Ampadu – Ghana Air Force
· Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah – Ghana Air Force
President Mahama declared seven days of national mourning, with all flags flown at half-mast. A state funeral was held at Black Star Square on August 16, 2025, where the President conferred posthumous promotions on the three fallen crew members.
Support for families
On July 6, 2026, the Accra Circuit Court, acting under the Workmen’s Compensation Act, awarded a total compensation package of GH¢13,872,962.40 to the dependants of the four civilian officials who died in the crash. Compensation packages were also processed for the families of the fallen military personnel in accordance with the Armed Forces Regulations.
Additionally, every affected family has been enrolled onto the Premier Plan of Nationwide Medical Insurance, the highest level of healthcare coverage, providing annual benefits valued at GH¢3 million across all dependants.
The government has also established a Children’s Support Fund, with 13 professionally managed trust accounts opened at Stanbic Bank for the minor children, with GH¢1 million deposited into each account.
Describing the helicopter crash as one of the nation’s most painful tragedies, the government called on Ghanaians, civil society organisations, religious bodies and the media to participate in the commemorative activities and support the blood donation campaign.
“The loss of these eight noble individuals remains a deeply painful chapter in our nation’s history. However, their spirit of dedication to duty must continue to inspire us as a people,” the statement said.
