Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama is considering a plan to replace the country’s aging military aircraft fleet after a fatal helicopter incident earlier this month that killed eight high-profile officials, including two cabinet ministers.
Speaking to local media, New Juaben South Parliament Member Michael Kofi Okyere Baafi endorsed the president’s proposal, calling the military’s existing aircraft obsolete and unsafe.
He also backed the president’s call for a transparent probe into the accident.
The helicopter involved was identified as the Z-9, or the “Haitun” under NATO designation, which is produced by Beijing’s Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation.
Ghana officially inducted the platform in 2015, with the acquisition financed by the state-owned Ghana National Gas Company and a China Development Bank loan.
“These helicopters and aircraft we have are not so suitable,” Okyere Baafi said. “We have to support the government to get new aircraft as a matter of urgency.”
“Politics has created a lot of mess in the country, and this is the time for us to see this unfortunate incident as a call to place the future of Ghana above politics. I believe this is the time Ghana must forge ahead in unity because politics has destroyed the country.”
Foggy Weather
Recorded on August 6, the crash claimed the lives of Defense Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed, former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye, and National Democratic Congress Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong.
Among the dead were Ghana Air Force personnel, including Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
Prior to the incident, Ghana’s meteorological agency had warned of unusually cold, foggy conditions for the month of August, with farmers near the crash site reporting thick morning fog.
An eyewitness told the BBC that the helicopter was flying unusually low in poor weather before a loud explosion.
The government declared three days of national mourning after the accident, with a flower-laying ceremony, a memorial service, and an evening of reflection.
