President John Dramani Mahama opened up on the toll of the tragic helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region, which led to the death of eight people, including two of his cabinet ministers.

Speaking at the Evening of Reflections & Memorial held for the eight victims on Saturday, August 9, 2025, President Mahama said he had people he considered family and others who were assets to the state.

He indicated that the mentioning of the names of these persons, who died in the line of duty, in news reports every day, hurts him so much.

"Each of the eight persons in that helicopter was either a friend, a cherished colleague or a valued citizen of this country that I need. Indeed, some of them were like close family, like brothers, and so I feel their pain 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 single cause – the betterment of our country," he said.

The president noted that all eight victims are being honoured because of the services they rendered to the state.

"We want to honour those lives that were lived in full, with unwavering passion and a commitment right until they took their final breath.”

The tragic crash occurred on Tuesday, August 6, involving a Z-9 Ghana Air Force helicopter that was en route from Accra to Obuasi.

The aircraft reportedly went down in the Dampa Range Forest Reserve, near Sikaman, in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.

The five officials and three crew members on board were travelling to attend the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP).

The five officials are Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence; Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation; Dr Samuel Sarpong, Vice-Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC); Samuel Aboagye, former NDC parliamentary candidate for Obuasi East and NADMO Deputy Director-General; and Alhaji Muniru Limuna Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator.

The three Ghana Air Force crew members are Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Mane-Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.

Watch videos of the president’s remarks below:







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Meanwhile, watch the trailer to GhanaWeb’s yet-to-air documentary on teenage girls and how fish is stealing their futures below: