An Evening of Reflections and Memorial for the departed eight victims of the August 6, 2025, helicopter crash was held on Saturday at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra.
“Let us honour their memories, not just with tears, but with renewed dedication to the very ideals that they lived and died for,” President John Dramani Mahama remarked in his reflection at the event.
“Let us recommit ourselves to working tirelessly, transcending our differences, and focusing our energies on the monumental task of nation-building.
“They served Ghana with their last breath, and it is our sacred duty to continue that service. To build the Ghana they wanted, a Ghana of opportunities, justice, and prosperity for all our citizens.”
The President said Ghanaians gathered at the event under a cloud of shared grief, their hearts heavy with the profound sorrow that had gripped the nation.
He said the news of the helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofuom, which tragically claimed the lives of eight of their beloved citizens, all of whom were proudly serving our great nation, had shaken everyone to the core.
“Our nation is indeed in deep mourning. In my official capacity as President of the Republic of Ghana, I wish to extend the sincerest condolences of our nation to the bereaved families, the spouses and children who have lost pillars in their lives, the parents, the siblings grappling with the unimaginable pain, and the countless friends, colleagues, and community members who cherish these dedicated individuals,” he said.
“I pray that the cherished memories of these our loved ones will serve as a guiding light, illuminating a path through the darkness and devastation of this national tragedy.”
The President noted that he was not addressing Ghanaians at the event solely in his capacity as President; stating that “I stand before you tonight additionally and quite humbly as a person who is also personally grieving the departed”.
“Each of the eight individuals on that helicopter was either a friend, a cherished colleague, or a valued citizen of this country that I lead,” he said.
“Indeed some of them were like close family, like brothers, and so I feel their loss quite deeply.
“It pains me to think of them reduced today merely to names written and repeated again and again in news reports both here and abroad.
“They were only a few days ago vibrant lives, each dedicated to a singular cause, the betterment of our country.”
The President said he wanted to honour those lives that were lived in full with unwavering passion and a commitment right up until they took their final breath.
The eight victims of the August 6, 2025 military helicopter crash include: Flight Officer Twum Ampadu, Squadron Leader Peter Anala, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Others are Samuel Aboagye, former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Obuasi East and Deputy Coordinator for National Disaster Management Organization; Samuel Sarpong, National Vice Chairman of the NDC and Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator.
The rest are Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, and Minister for Environment, Science, and Technology, and my friend and confidant, advisor, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence.
The President said what compounded the collective grief and shock as a nation was the sudden, unpredictable, and violent nature of their passing.
“Culturally we’ve become used to preparing for the loss of loved ones, even in brief illnesses, yet in this increasingly complex and fast-moving world we’re sometimes faced with such sudden bereavement, forcing us to confront how fragile and how fleeting life really is. Here today, gone tomorrow,” he stated.
President Mahama said recently in a similar tragic accident, a few days before, the nation lost 15 of her young citizens, members of a church singing band who had gone to perform at a youth programme of their church.
He said similarly, on that occasion, he expressed his condolences to the bereaved family and placed a personal call to Opanyi Ibrahim, who was the head of the Saviour Church in Ghana, to whom these young people belonged.
“It is at times like this, however, that the true spirit of us as Ghanaians reveals itself,” he said.
“We showcase the profound compassion that we have, our inherent decency, our indomitable resilience, and our deep-seated unity that have come to define our nation, Ghana.”
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