UPDATED: Two Ghanaian ministers, six others killed in helicopter crash

A helicopter crash in Ghana killed all eight people on board, including two government ministers.

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The officials who were victims of the crash are the country’s Defence Minister, Edward Boamah, and the Environment Minister, Ibrahim Muhammed

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the Chief of Staff to Ghanaian President John Mahama said in a statement that the crash occurred on Wednesday in the southern Ashanti region of the country.

“The president and the government extend their condolences and solidarity to the families of our comrades and soldiers who fell in their service to the nation,” Mr Debrah said.

Earlier in the day, the Ghanaian Armed Forces reported that a Z9 air force helicopter went off radar shortly after taking off from Accra around 10 a.m.

The aircraft was en route to Obuasi, a town northwest of the capital, according to the military.

The death of the country’s defence minister, Edward Boamah, comes at a critical time for the country.

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Ghana, like its neighbours in West Africa, is under growing pressure from Islamist militants based in the Sahel.

These groups, active in violence-plagued countries like Burkina Faso and Mali, have been pushing southward in a bid to expand their reach beyond the region’s interior.

Mr Boamah, who previously served as Minister for Communications from 2013 to 2017, was appointed Minister for Defence in January 2025 after President John Mahama returned to office.

READ ALSO: Tinubu condoles with Ghanaian President on fatal helicopter crash

In a bid to address the country’s security crisis and improve Ghana’s relations with the junta-led states, in May, Mr Boamah led a delegation to Ouagadougou to hold talks with the military leadership of these countries.

Last month, Ghana also announced the deployment of additional troops to its northeastern region, where a long-standing chieftaincy dispute has recently escalated, triggering violence and attacks on schools.

With Mr Boamah’s passing, his successor will inherit a challenging security portfolio that involves managing both external threats and internal conflicts.

Other victims of the crash include the country’s Deputy National Security Coordinator, Mohammad Limuna; the Vice Chairman of Mr Mahama’s National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Sarpong, and a former Minister of Agriculture.