The Ministry of Defence is holding its maiden annual public lecture in honour of the late former Minister for Defence, Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026.

Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah died on August 6, 2025, in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi area of the Ashanti Region.

He was among eight people who lost their lives in the tragedy, including the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, as well as other senior government officials and military personnel.

Dr Omane Boamah was one of the very few politicians whom even his adversaries admired. The late defence minister was loved for his calm nature and humility. He was described by many as an exceptional and visionary leader, a fearless leader, a brilliant strategist, a fighter for democracy and a compassionate servant of the people.

Before becoming a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which he served in various key roles, Dr Omane Boamah was a member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In August 2025, after Dr Omane Boamah’s demise, Ato Ahwoi, a founding member of the NDC, disclosed how he convinced the late Dr Omane Boamah to join his party.

According to Ato Ahwoi, he got the late Omane Boamah to join the NDC when the late former President, Prof John Evans Atta Mills, asked him to recruit all former presidents of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) for the party.

He said the late Defence Minister, whom he described as one of the most important persons he had ever met, was at that time a member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

"I managed to convince Omane to join the NDC after I had been instructed by Professor Mills to recruit all past NUGS presidents.

“He was then with the NPP and did not like the NDC, but he became very close to me, like a son," he said in an interview on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on Friday, August 8, 2025.

LIVESTREAMING: Maiden annual public lecture in honour of Dr Edward Omane Boamah

About the crash

Dr Omane Boamah was one of the eight victims who lost their lives in the tragic crash of a helicopter, which belonged to the Ghana Armed Forces, on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.

The crash also claimed the lives of the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed; Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna; former Central Regional Minister, Samuel Sarpong; and Samuel Aboagye, a former parliamentary candidate.

The remaining victims were members of the helicopter’s crew: Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Malin Twum-Ampadu, and Sgt Ernest Addo Mensah.

The officials were en route to Obuasi to attend a programme on illegal mining as part of government efforts to end galamsey.

Founding NDC member, Ato Ahwoi recounts how he convinced a young Omane Boamah, who was then a member of the NPP to join the NDC.#ChannelOneNews#GhanaMourns pic.twitter.com/50PqzjgwHd

— ChannelOne TV (@Channel1TVGHA) August 8, 2025