President John Mahama has announced the establishment of a dedicated education fund to support the children left behind by the eight individuals who perished in the tragic military helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.
The announcement was delivered during the funeral rites for the late Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna.
Compassionate state intervention
Recognising the profound impact of the tragedy—notably the loss of parents with young children, including an infant pilot’s child—President Mahama emphasised the moral imperative to safeguard the futures of the bereaved families.
He pledged that the newly created fund would cushion the children from hardship and secure their educational development.
Education Fund
Mahama said “There will be a state funeral on Friday, 15th August. At the funeral, we will announce some programmes for creating a fund that will assist with the education of the children. Friday, I will announce the details of that, so that people who want to contribute to the future of the children they have left behind will have the opportunity to do so.
“I believe that Allah will have mercy on him, forgive him for all his sins, and accept him.”
Honouring the fallen
The helicopter, a Ghana Air Force Harbin Z-9, crashed en route to Obuasi for the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP). Among the victims were Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, key security and political figures, and three crew members. The crash occurred in the Ashanti region and has been described as one of Ghana’s most devastating air disasters in recent memory.
The tragic event has drawn nationwide sympathy, with political leaders, civil society groups, and citizens sending messages of support to the former president and all those impacted.
Dr Edward Kofi Omane Boamah and Dr Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed were in a military helicopter crash.
Others who died in the unfortunate national tragedy were Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, and former Minister for Food and Agriculture, and Dr Samuel Sarpong, the Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and a former Ashanti Regional Minister.
The rest are Samuel Aboagye, a former NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Obuasi East; Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Malin Twum-Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The cause remains under investigation, with the black box recovered to aid inquiries. President John Mahama declared three days of national mourning, ordered flags at half-mast, and announced a state funeral for August 15, 2025, at the Black Star Square.
