The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has shared a personal story about his long-standing relationship with the late Dr Edward Omane Boamah, one of the eight victims of Wednesday’s fatal helicopter crash.
Speaking at a memorial event on August 7, 2025, Prof Gyampo revealed that Dr Boamah defence minister was the personal medical doctor who saved the life of his son, now 18 years old, during a severe health crisis in infancy.
“Six months after his birth, he was always sick, one day I was invigilating an exam at the university when I was told he had been rushed to the hospital. I rushed to 37, and there I met Dr Omane Boamah. He assured me that so long as God lives and so long as he remains a professional medical doctor, the boy will live, “he said.
That assurance stayed with Gyampo, and each year since, on his son’s birthday, he sends Dr Boamah a photograph of the boy.
“Every year when the boy is celebrating his birthday, I take a picture and send it to him, telling him, this is your son. This June, I sent him a picture, and he laughed, telling me the boy has a brighter future,” he said.
Gyampo described Dr Boamah not only as a trusted friend but also as one of the reasons he accepted an appointment to serve in government.
“Every time there was a programme, he would call me and say, make sure you attend, and make sure the old man sees you.’ He was a great strategist, very smart, intelligent, and strong-willed above all, a human being.”
The crash of the Z9 helicopter, which belonged to the Ghana Armed Forces, claimed the lives of Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science, and Technology Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed.
Others are Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna; former Central Regional Minister, Samuel Sarpong; and Samuel Aboagye, a former parliamentary candidate.
Members of the helicopter’s crew are Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Malin Twum-Ampadu, and Sgt. Ernest Addo Mensah.
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