The helicopter crash killed two senior ministers and six others

Ghana’s mining sector stakeholders have expressed condolences to the government following the fatal military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom district of the Ashanti Region, which claimed the lives of all eight people on board, including the Ministers for Defence and Environment.

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) said the Z-9 helicopter took off from Accra at 09:12 a.m. local time on Wednesday en route to Obuasi, where the delegation was scheduled to attend the launch of the Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP).

The aircraft later lost contact with radar and was reported to have crashed in a forested area, according to eyewitnesses who rushed to the scenes. They said the helicopter was seen in flames shortly after impact.

The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, later confirmed the deaths at a press briefing in Accra, naming the deceased as Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed.

Other victims included Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed, National Democratic Congress (NDC) Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong, former Obuasi East parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and three Air Force personnel – Squadron Leader Peter Anala, Flying Officer Twum Ampadu and Sergeant Ernest Addo.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines described the deaths as a “profound loss” to the country, saying the two ministers had played key roles in national efforts to combat illegal mining.

“Their leadership and collaboration were central to the multi-stakeholder approach aimed at addressing the challenges of illegal mining,” the chamber said in a statement. “Their absence will be deeply felt across the sector.”

The chamber pledged to honour their legacy by continuing to promote sustainable and responsible mining practices.

The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners (GNASSM) also extended condolences, expressing solidarity with the government, the NDC and the Ghana Armed Forces.

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our hearts go out to the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased,” the association said.

Meanwhile the bodies of the deceased persons have since been brought to Accra, while authorities said investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.

The late Michael Kwesi Ofori, popularly known as ‘The General’

Michael Kwesi Ofori, the son of renowned businessman Dr. Ernest Ofori Sarpong, has reportedly passed away.

The news was announced by Ghpage News on Facebook on August 12, 2025, noting that the cause of death has not yet been disclosed.

Michael Ofori, popularly known as ‘The General’, served as the Chief Executive Officer of Investors Hub, a consulting firm specializing in advisory services.

He rose to public attention in September 2023 when he married Rita Ofori Acheampong, a relative of former Health Minister Dr. Richard Anane.

Meanwhile, the bereaved family is yet to release a statement to that effect.

TikToker Fante Comedy and Akosua Jollof arrested over controversial helicopter crash livestream

The lavish wedding attracted prominent personalities, including Dr Ofori Sarpong, business magnate Dr Osei Kwame Despite, and other high-profile guests.

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Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called on African leaders to base electoral contests on policies rather than ballots.

Opening the African Political Parties Summit 2025 in Accra, she urged political parties across the continent to prioritise the needs of their citizens while in power.

“Policies, when divorced from the pursuit of wellbeing, become empty,” she said.

“Our people do not ask us to perform politics for its own sake. They deserve politics that translates into food security, decent jobs, functional schools, accessible healthcare, efficient infrastructure, security, and justice. They expect us to focus not just on the next election, but more importantly, on the next generation.”

Reiterating the need to rise above narrow interests, the Vice President stressed the importance of working together, even as strong opponents, and fostering cooperation and tolerance among political parties for peace, development, and progress.

“Let’s adopt a long view… for the sake of policies and projects, and they must outlast our own political careers,” she said.

Addressing the lack of continuity that hampers Africa’s development, she urged leaders to craft national development plans that would be respected by successive governments.

While acknowledging that leaders may not agree on everything, she said it was vital to “agree on the fundamentals” and work toward “an Africa united in vision to defy the odds,” citing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a success story.

She further challenged both ruling and opposition parties to ensure stability during elections, warning that instability endangers livelihoods.

The Vice President expressed optimism that the adoption of the African Political Parties Initiative (APPI) implementation framework at the summit would “help foster political cooperation across borders to address regional threats, deal with illicit trade, and respond to pandemics.”

The APPI framework, yet to be officially adopted, aims to create a platform for dialogue, build institutional capacity, sustain cooperation, resolve disputes, share ideas, and collaborate on shared priorities.

The three-day summit has brought together African Heads of State under the theme “From Politics to Prosperity.”

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

The agriculture sector is set for a significant financial boost in 2025, as the government and development partners commit a combined GHS 2.9 billion to support key programmes under the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

According to the 2025–2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, the investment will primarily fund the flagship Feed Ghana programme, along with mechanisation, irrigation, livestock development and post-harvest infrastructure projects aimed at improving food security and reducing import dependence.

The financing structure shows that government resources, including Internally Generated Funds (IGF), will contribute GHS 1.61 billion (55.3%) while development partners will provide GHS 1.3 billion (44.7%)

Of the total allocation – GHS 226.6 million is earmarked for compensation of employees, GHS 1.13 billion will support goods and services with GHS 1.55 billion set aside for capital expenditure

The funding aligns with Ghana’s broader Agriculture for Economic Transformation Agenda (AETA), which prioritises modernising the sector, boosting productivity, and creating sustainable employment opportunities across the value chain.

Under the same framework, government is advancing plans for a bold agricultural policy aimed at slashing its $2 billion annual palm oil import bill.

This would be achieved by significantly scaling up domestic production and diversifying into high-value tree crops.

The plan includes the rollout of a National Palm Oil Industry Policy, which will support the distribution of 1.5 million oil palm seedlings to farmers.

It is also to promote large-scale out-grower plantation schemes and provide incentives to expand local processing capacity.

The initiative, dubbed the “RedGold” oil palm programme, is expected to catalyse private sector investment, create thousands of jobs across rural Ghana and aligns with the country’s import substitution and agro-industrial transformation agenda.

Ghana’s Ambassador-designate to South Korea, Kojo Choi

Ghana’s Ambassador-designate to South Korea, Kojo Choi, has stated that he is a Ghanaian citizen and holds no other nationality, following public debate over his appointment.

Speaking in an interview on Channel One TV on August 12, 2025, Choi revealed that although he was born to Korean parents, he moved to Ghana at the age of 14 and was naturalised in 1999.

He attended SOS Hermann Gmeiner International School in Tema before furthering his studies at the University of Ghana.

His nomination by President John Dramani Mahama sparked controversy, with some questioning the decision to appoint a person of Korean descent to represent Ghana in South Korea.

However, Choi defended his selection, noting that he has spent most of his life in Ghana, speaks Twi fluently, understands Frafra, and considers the country his only home.

Meet Kojo Choi Ghana’s Ambassador-designate to South Korea

“The Korean government doesn’t allow dual citizenship, so when you’re applying for citizenship, you are basically surrendering the other,” he said during the interview.

When asked if he is a dual citizen, he responded, “I am solely Ghanaian.”

“I arrived in Korea just two weeks ago and I was going through the immigration, I was queuing for my turn at the foreigners section and my good friend Okyeame Kwame called me, that where are you and I said, I’m in Korea, then he asked which passport do you use to go through, so I said I’m here with my Ghanian passport, then I sent him the stamp, “he added.

Kojo Choi’s appointment sparks controversy on social media

“The Korean government doesn’t allow dual citizenship, so I am a full Ghanaian,” reaffirms Kojo Choi, Ghana’s Ambassador to South Korea.

📺 Watch the full conversation here: https://t.co/pcxbXyQCJJ#FacetoFace with @UmaruSanda pic.twitter.com/RFCqeDTF7O

— CITI FM 97.3 (@Citi973) August 12, 2025

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Meanwhile, watch below the trailer for GhanaWeb’s upcoming documentary on teenage girls and how fish is stealing their futures:

George Opare Addo (L) and Richard Nii Armah Quaye

The Chief Executive Officer of RLEQ Group and founder of the RLEQ Foundation, Richard Nii Armah Quaye, has donated GH₵500,000 to the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment to support the fight against opioid abuse among Ghanaian youth.

Speaking at the ministry during the presentation, Quaye commended the ministry for its efforts in improving the lives of young people under the current minister’s leadership.

He noted that a few weeks ago, the minister had called on him to support efforts to combat rape and opioid abuse.

Quaye stated that as a young entrepreneur employing over 4,000 Ghanaian youth, with an average age of 26 years, he had a vested interest in youth development.

He said his experiences across Africa, particularly in Sierra Leone, had shown how opioid abuse could impair young people both mentally and physically, making them unfit for productive work.

He warned that Ghana risked taking the same path if the issue was not addressed urgently, describing the situation as a national threat.

He stressed that the country’s economic fortunes depended on its youth and called for significant attention to be given to the problem.

Explaining the role of his foundation, Quaye said the RLEQ Foundation was established to provide social justice to deprived, forgotten, and marginalised communities.

He added that apart from creating jobs, the foundation had set up food banks in the Greater Accra Region, with plans to expand to all regions.

According to him, the initiative aimed to support people who were unemployed and could not afford basic necessities, thereby reducing the likelihood of them turning to drugs for comfort.

Quaye indicated that the foundation was committed to working closely with the ministry to address opioid abuse among those already affected.

He said the GH₵500,000 donation demonstrated the foundation’s commitment and unwavering support in the fight against opioid abuse and rape.

Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, expressed his gratitude for the donation to help curb the menace.

Marking International Youth Day, the minister reflected on the role of young people in Ghana’s future.

“Our focus is on five main thematic areas, but key in those… is the wellness and wellbeing of young people. No amount of development can take place when the people are not in the best state of mind and health,” he explained.

He emphasised the need for research to fully understand the problem.

“You can address a problem midway through it, but you are able to address it properly when you have a proper understanding of what the root cause of the problem is,” he said. “A lot of the solutions… are ad-hoc… so we commissioned research into understanding what exactly is leading to young people doing this.”

Deputy Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, says the nation must treat the deaths of eight people in Wednesday’s military helicopter crash as a turning point in the fight against environmental crimes.

Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, August 12, he said the tragedy, which claimed the lives of two cabinet ministers, should never be ignored, especially because it occurred on the day the government was set to launch a major initiative against what he described as “environmental terrorism.”

“We were all anticipating that these people were going to join us as well, and then we would have a very great program. Because I think we were all very interested in the program the government was launching, but we thought that we needed to really deal with the menace of this environmental crime around us,” Mr Bosu said.

He stressed that the launch was an important step toward holding the government accountable for ending environmental destruction.

“Any program that was going to help us do that, we’re also going to be there to listen and make sure that we keep the government accountable and also responsible for everything they have said. So we were really looking forward to this.”

But for Bosu, the tragedy that struck on such a significant day has given the fight against environmental crimes a deeper meaning.

“To have this, I will say, serious sacrifice. And this was a sacrifice on the day of such a launch, for me, is, really significant in the sense that, eight people had to sacrifice their life for this initiative we want to do, and it’s also kind of an initiative to rid our country of this menace, of this environmental terrorism that we’re experiencing. So there’s no way we can sit down and ignore this sacrifice.”

Mr Bosu called on the government and citizens to treat the moment as a wake-up call.

“Yeah, we cannot… something we need to really take seriously. If we’re thinking of just letting this responsible, cooperative mind go on as just like the committee mining was, then this should be the turning point.

“Nothing should be the same ever again. We need to do things differently. We need to deal with this menace once and for all.”

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.

Ghana’s Ambassador Designate to South Korea, Kojo Choi, has expressed confidence in Ghana’s potential to attract high-value investments from Korean companies if mutually beneficial conditions are created.

Speaking in an interview with Umaru Sanda Amadu on Channel One TV’s Face to Face on Tuesday, August 12, Choi said Ghana and Africa could serve as platforms for Korea’s next phase of industrial and technological expansion.

Choi said, “If it will benefit our country [Ghana], we have to go and see what is in there. If you think of Korea, it is a very high-tech, very industrial place. So many of the companies in Korea are looking for ways and means of being able to go on the next journey.

“I believe that Ghana and Africa can provide that platform for them. Of course, there are certain conditions, and if the environment is suitable for them, they will only come when they know it’s beneficial to them. Ghana will only have them when we know it’s beneficial to us.”

He stressed that such partnerships must be mutually beneficial, adding that Korean companies would only invest if the environment was favourable, and Ghana should ensure the benefits were reciprocal.

“A good ambassador understands business, being able to balance a win-win. I believe a lot could be done in that sense,” he stated.

I am fully Ghanaian – Kojo Choi

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