The Member of Parliament for Wassa East, Isaac Adjei Mensah, has lauded the display of national unity and bipartisan solidarity witnessed during the state mourning and funeral ceremonies for the victims of the August 6 helicopter crash.
Speaking following the August 15 state funeral held at Black Star Square and the subsequent burial at the Military Cemetery in Tse Addo, the MP praised Ghanaians from all walks of life for coming together in grief, irrespective of political, regional, or ethnic divisions.
“It is important that we all get to know that across the country — North, East, South, and West — we all came together in this mourning situation,” Mr. Adjei Mensah said on Channel One TV’s The Big Issue on Saturday, August 16.
“The president provided the leadership, and everybody can bet that we didn’t bring in issues of politics and so on.”
The solemn ceremonies, which laid to rest six of the eight victims of the tragic crash, drew a cross-section of Ghanaians, including high-ranking government officials, the military high command, bereaved families, and citizens from across the country. The first two victims had been buried earlier on August 10.
In a touching display of unity and shared loss, President John Dramani Mahama, Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, and a host of dignitaries joined in paying tribute to the fallen.
The helicopter crash, which occurred while the victims were en route to an anti-illegal mining assignment in Obuasi, has been described as one of the most painful moments in recent Ghanaian history.
Among the eight who perished were:
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence
Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation
Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator
Dr. Samuel Sarpong, NDC Vice Chairman
Samuel Aboagye, Deputy NADMO Director-General
Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala
Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu
Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah
In honour of their service and sacrifice, President Mahama announced the creation of an Educational Children’s Support Fund, which will cater for the schooling, healthcare, and welfare of the victims’ children. The Fund is backed by an initial GHS 500,000 seed contribution from Stanbic Bank and government support.
Mr. Adjei Mensah’s comments echo a broader national sentiment — that even in tragedy, Ghana can rise as one people.
He expressed hope that this unified response to the national tragedy will serve as a model for future national reflection and healing:
“We hope that the finality or the closure will take effect,” he said, urging Ghanaians to uphold the spirit of unity in both sorrow and nation-building.
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