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Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has paid tribute to the late Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, describing him as a visionary leader who was determined to end Ghana’s illegal mining menace.
Speaking on The Point of View on Monday, August 11, 2025, Mr. Ablakwa said Dr. Omane Boamah had the full backing of then-President John Mahama to deploy the military without compromise in the fight against galamsey.
“I have no doubt that Dr. Omane Boamah would have solved this galamsey crisis,” Mr. Ablakwa stated, recalling private conversations where the late Minister insisted he would not bow to political pressure or make secret deals that undermined the fight.
According to him, Dr. Omane Boamah made it clear to all, including top party executives, that troops deployed to combat illegal mining would operate strictly in the national interest. President Mahama, he added, gave his “full blessings” to the plan.
The late Defence Minister was among eight people who lost their lives in a military helicopter crash on August 6, 2025, in the Ashanti Region. The Z-9 helicopter, carrying three crew members and five passengers, went “off the radar” after departing Accra for Obuasi to attend an anti-illegal mining event.
Other victims included Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation; Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate; Samuel Sarpong, NDC Vice Chairman; Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala; Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu; and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
