Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has made an impassioned call for national healing and unity as Ghana mourns the eight victims of the August 6 helicopter crash in the Ashanti Region.
Speaking at the Ministry of Environment’s regional conference room after signing the Book of Condolence, Gomashie urged Ghanaians to reflect on their actions and resist politicising national tragedies.
“This country needs to heal. We must reflect on our actions, whether they are helping or harming our nation. We cannot continue to politicise tragedies. We need to bow our heads in shame and learn from the lives and sacrifices of these gallant men. Let us be the Ghanaians the world knows us to be empathetic and united.”
She paid tribute to the late Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, commending their integrity, patriotism, and unwavering service. She urged citizens to emulate their compassion and civic duty.
Gomashie also recalled a final conversation with Dr. Murtala just a day before the crash, when he told her:
“I will shock you. I am going to the Ashanti Region, when I return, you’ll see the things I’ve done for you.”
The memory, she said, was especially painful as she was also preparing for her father’s funeral at the time of the tragedy.
Minister Abla Dzifa Gomashie urged compassion and national unity, calling for an end to politicising the recent tragedy.
She honoured the late ministers as models of selfless leadership and integrity, and shared her poignant final exchange with Dr. Murtala, words that now carry a profound and tragic resonance.
Gomashie’s appeal captures the emotional toll of the disaster and calls on Ghanaians to meet grief with empathy, solidarity, and sober reflection, a reminder that national healing begins with unity and shared responsibility.
