President John Mahama has announced the creation of a special education fund to support the children of the eight people who died in the Ghana Air Force helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.
The announcement came during the funeral rites of the late Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, one of the victims of the disaster.
Mahama described the initiative as a moral duty, stressing that the state must safeguard the futures of those left behind — including infants, such as the two-month-old child of the young pilot killed in the crash.
“Children are still in school, and some even have infants as young as two months. The pilot’s child, for instance, is only two months old. These responsibilities are now ours to bear,” he said.
The education fund, details of which will be outlined at a state funeral on August 15 at Black Star Square, will be open to public and corporate contributions. The aim is to ensure that the loss of their parents does not interrupt the children’s schooling or life prospects.
Reflecting on the national grief, Mahama quoted the Quran’s Surah Al-Baqarah: “Indeed, it is from Him we came and to Him we shall return. Every soul shall taste death.”
The Harbin Z-9 helicopter was en route to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) when it crashed in the Ashanti Region.
The victims included:
- Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence
- Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Minister of Environment
- Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Minister of Food and Agriculture
- Dr Samuel Sarpong, NDC Vice Chairman and former Ashanti Regional Minister
- Samuel Aboagye, former NDC parliamentary candidate for Obuasi East
- Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala
- Flying Officer Malin Twum-Ampadu
- Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah
The tragedy has been described as one of Ghana’s worst air disasters in recent memory. Investigators have recovered the helicopter’s black box to determine the cause of the crash.
President Mahama has declared three days of national mourning, ordered flags at half-mast, and pledged that the victims will receive full state honours.
