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President John Mahama has announced the creation of a special fund to cater to the needs of the children left behind by the eight people who died in the August 6 Ghana Air Force helicopter crash.
The announcement came during the funeral rites of the late Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, one of the crash victims. President Mahama said the initiative aims to protect the dependants of the deceased from financial hardship, with particular mention of the two-month-old child of military pilot Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala.
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The President described the accident—which claimed the lives of all on board the Harbin Z-9 helicopter—as a national tragedy. “It’s a difficult calamity… If you look at all those who died, they were in the prime of their lives with great responsibilities—children in school, and even infants as young as two months. These responsibilities now fall on us to ensure the children’s future is not jeopardised,” he said.
A state funeral for all eight victims will be held on Friday, August 15, where full details of the fund will be unveiled. Contributions from the public will be welcomed to support the children’s education and welfare.
Those who perished included cabinet ministers Dr Edward Omane Boamah (Defence) and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed (Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation); Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator Muniru Mohammed; former parliamentary candidate Samuel Aboagye; and NDC Vice Chairman Samuel Sarpong.
The other victims were crew members Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The group had been en route to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region for an anti-galamsey mission when the aircraft went off radar, prompting a search-and-rescue operation that ended in tragedy.
Story By: Afia Ohenewaa Akyerem