Helicopter Crash: Mahama Sets Up Fund For Children Of Victims

President John Dramani Mahama has established a dedicated fund to provide support to the families of the eight Ghanaians who tragically lost their lives in the helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.

Speaking at the final funeral rites of Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, President Mahama underscored the importance of safeguarding the victims’ dependants from hardship.

The President specifically mentioned the two-month-old child of military pilot Peter Baafemi.

In response to the recent accident involving a Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter, which claimed the lives of two Ministers of State and six other individuals en route to a government function in Obuasi, the government has made a decisive move.

The victims included Defence Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah; Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Alhaji Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed; National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman, Dr. Samuel Sarpong; Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Muniru Limuna Mohammed; and former NDC parliamentary candidate for Obuasi East, Samuel Aboagye.

Squadron Leader Peter Baafemi Anala, Flying Officer Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah – serving officers of the Ghana Armed Forces who died in the line of duty – comprised the remainder.

A state burial took place on Sunday, August 10, 2025, at the Forecourt of the State House for the late Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed and Alhaji Muniru Limuna Mohammed, who were then buried at the Military Cemetery at Tse Addo in Accra, adhering to Islamic tradition.

President Mahama, while addressing the funeral rites of Alhaji Limuna yesterday, highlighted the immense loss resulting from the accident and the corresponding responsibilities borne by both government and citizens.

“It’s a difficult calamity, as all those who perished were in the prime of their lives, with significant responsibilities, including children still in school and some with infants as young as two months,” the President stressed.

President Mahama stated that the responsibilities “are what we must assume to ensure the absence of parents does not adversely impact the innocent children.”

He announced that a state funeral would be held for the eight victims and that details of a fund to support the education of the victims’ children would be unveiled at the event.

“We will announce a program to create a fund assisting the education of their children,” President Mahama said, indicating that contributors could support the future of the affected children.