John Dramani Mahama had a real scare on the day those 8 Ghanaians died in the crash
Ghana has experienced many dark days in its history, from stadium disasters, to what has become known as the fire and flood disaster, but all of those happened quite a few years ago and may feel less tortuous on the minds of citizens by now.
However, in 2025, there was, yet another devastating day of disaster; one that is still fresh on the minds of many people.
GhanaWeb, in retracing some of the big news stories of 2025, determines this day as the worst day of the presidency of John Dramani Mahama.
That day, August 6, 2025, became a Black Wednesday that violently snuffed out the lives of 8 illustrious Ghanaians – politicians and soldiers of the Ghana Armed Forces.
On the day, a Ghana Air Force Harbin Z-9 military helicopter crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region, killing all eight people on board. The names of those killed were:
Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Minister of Defence;
Dr Alhaji Murtala Muhammed, former MP for Tamale Central, and Minister of Environment, Science and Technology;
Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator;
Dr Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the NDC;
Samuel Aboagye, Deputy Director-General of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO);
Sqn Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, the pilot of the aircraft;
Flying Officer Twum Ampadu; and
Sgt Ernest Addo Mensah.
During the state funeral for the 8 perished Ghanaians on August 15, 2025, President John Dramani Mahama described the loss from the helicopter crash as a “national tragedy.”
He stated that their deaths had left a “void in our leadership and in my heart.”
