Professor Ransford Gyampo, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority, has shared a deeply personal account of how the late Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, once saved his newborn son’s life.
Prof Gyampo revealed that nearly two decades ago, just six months after his son was born, the child suffered a severe medical complication that left him convinced he would not survive. While invigilating an examination, he was urgently called to the hospital. On the way, he braced himself for the worst, even praying for his son’s peaceful rest.
Upon arriving at the 37 Military Hospital, he met Dr. Omane Boamah, who was then serving as a medical officer. Prof Gyampo recalled that the doctor’s assurance and swift professional action completely turned the situation around. His son not only survived but is now 18 years old.
Reflecting on the tragedy that claimed Dr. Boamah’s life along with seven others in a helicopter crash at Adansi Akrofrom in the Ashanti Region, Prof Gyampo said the loss felt especially heavy because he had only recently interacted with him. Just last week, they had met at the Flagstaff House, where Dr. Boamah discussed a communication theory known as “Missionizing,” which he developed with colleagues James Agyenim Boateng and Stan Dogbe. They had also spoken by phone the day before the crash.
Prof Gyampo also remembered another victim of the disaster — the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ibrahim Murtala — describing him as a former PhD student whose humility, diligence, and determination left a lasting mark. Murtala, he noted, had recently completed one of the best dissertations in the department.
Prof Gyampo extended his condolences to the families of the deceased, to former President John Mahama, and to the people of Ghana, saying the loss was a national tragedy.
