President John Mahama has announced the creation of a dedicated fund to support the needs of the children of the eight deceased persons in the tragic helicopter crash on August 6.
The President made the emotional announcement while attending the funeral rites for the late Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna.
The government’s decision comes in the wake of the devastating accident, which claimed the lives of all eight people on board the Ghana Air Force Harbin Z-9 helicopter.
President Mahama emphasised the need to protect the victims’ dependants from hardship, specifically mentioning the two-month-old child of the military pilot, Peter Bafemi.
During his address on Tuesday, August 12, the President highlighted the profound loss felt by the nation and the responsibilities now facing the government and citizens.
“It’s a difficult calamity. Because if you look at all those who died, they were at the prime of their lives and had so much responsibility, children still in school, and some even with infants as young as two months… These responsibilities are what we have to take up to make sure that the absence of the parents does not adversely affect the innocent children.”
President Mahama confirmed that a state funeral for all eight victims will be held this Friday, August 15.
It is at this solemn event that the full details of the fund will be officially unveiled. The fund is intended to assist with the children’s education and future welfare.
“At the funeral, we will announce a programme for creating a fund that will assist with the education of their children,” he said. “Persons who want to contribute to the future of the children they’ve left behind would have the opportunity to do so.”
The high-profile victims who perished in the accident included two cabinet ministers, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah (Minister for Defence) and Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed (Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation).
Also among the deceased were Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Aboagye, a former parliamentary candidate; and Samuel Sarpong, the Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The remaining victims were the helicopter’s crew members: Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The group was travelling to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region to attend an event aimed at combating illegal mining, known as galamsey.
The aircraft went off radar, triggering a search-and-rescue operation that ended in tragedy.
