Ghana mourns eight citizens who lost their lives through a Harbin Z-9 Helicopter crash on 6th August 2025. The team was on its way to perform a national assignment when the accident occurred near Obuasi in Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region. Whilst the President, the Vice President and the Chief of Staff mourn openly, many world leaders continue to express their condolences and share in the bereavement.
At the local scene, ex-Presidents Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo, the former Vice President Dr. Bawumia and many dignitaries have all expressed their condolences. It is a fact that the loss to the nation is being felt by many but to the ruling government and the NDC, the loss is beyond description and we pray that they manage the loss with maturity and dignity. As a Ghanaian, I also take the opportunity to express my sincere condolence to the families and pray that the Almighty God comforts them.
Historically, the Ghana Air Force has experienced four incidents and 35 fatalities since its creation. Of the four incidents, two accidents occurred with fixed wing aircrafts whilst the other two were with helicopters. On March 16, 2002, the first helicopter accident involving Ghana Air Force Agusta Bell 412 helicopter crashed in the Atiwa mountains in the Eastern Region whilst on medical evacuation exercise. Five people, three service personnel and two civilians died in the accident. The current tragic accident is the second helicopter incident in the history of Ghana Air Force since independence with the total loss of 13 people. It is an enviable record which the Air Force must be proud of despite this accident and must exercise restraint because it is an occupational hazard.
Helicopters have become indispensable tools in modern transportation and communications, and despite many accidents involving helicopters in the world, more demands of them are made and continue to be made because of the versatility of its application. The sad reality is that this tool cannot be ignored, and even after such accidents the evacuation of the remains of the dead can only be conveyed speedily and conveniently in helicopters, emphasising its indispensability.
However, like all tools they have been designed to perform specific duties and consequently have limitations. Its use must be made by trained personnel, regular maintenance and frequent upgrading of the equipment to prevent such accidents and enable it to perform its functions effectively. This accident may put fear into many government officials who may be assigned for duty in difficult areas for which the use of helicopters cannot be avoided but I can say that even though the fear is firmly grounded, helicopters are more safe than vehicles we use which crash daily on our streets. From the history as traced, two accidents since the Service was established is a magnificent achievement.
Against this background, politicking any aspect of the accident is total foolishness and despicable and some alleged comments on the social media by some Ghanaians believed to be NDC supporters are very unfortunate and disgusting and therefore cannot pass without comments. From Mr Bobie Ansah, “onipa odasani was able to purchase 1974 helicopter for a country like Ghana. Bune ben?” From Franklin Cudjoe,” they could have travelled by road if the roads were constructed with all the money, we had in the last 8 years” and lastly from Sabah Zito Benson, “this is really painful. It hurts so bad. The crash site must be preserved for investigation just in case someone fiddled with the helicopter. The military is partisan. An investigation must be conducted”
Whilst Ghanaians mourn, these charlatans are determined to turn the tragic event into political propaganda by blaming the NPP one-way or the other for the incident. Mr. Bobie Ansah was trying to insinuate that the crushed helicopter was manufactured or purchased in 1974. I am aware that Mr Bobie Ansah is cleverer than that, but to achieve his propaganda objective he sighted this issue to divert attention or create the impression that the helicopter was purchased by the NPP and it crashed because of its age. A little study by him would have revealed to him that most military hardware purchased by third world countries are never brand new but refurbished second-hand equipment because of the financial constraints. As regards aircrafts, so long as maintenance, refurbishment as needed are made and the aircraft is kept air worthy, its age is irrelevant. For general information, Ghana acquired four Z- 9EH helicopters from China in September 2015 with the objective of boosting Ghana’s security in the emerging oil and gas industry with a loan from China Development Bank. The purchase was thus initiated and made by an NDC government and therefore the attempt to malign or blame the NPP is seriously misplaced.
Franklin Cudjoe’s comment is the most irrelevant. Many officials who attended the function travelled by road and only the five officials representing the Presidential entourage went by air. Assuming the road to Obuasi is not motorable how did the rest of participants get to Obuasi? The Ashanti Regional Minister was present at Obuasi and one may ask how he got there. Trying to state that the officials went by air because monies meant for the road construction collected during the last eight years of NPP era was squandered, is simply a joke which has badly exposed the knowledge and intelligence of Cudjoe and I think he must apply himself properly because this time his propaganda fell flat.
As for our pretty lady Benson, to demonstrate such ignorance is incredibly sad. For her general information, every aircraft accident in the world is investigated irrespective of where the accident occurred. For that reason, this accident will be investigated and the identification of the “black box” is the key to such investigations. The issue of whether someone fiddled with the aircraft before departure will be established during such investigations. To allay her fears, every aircraft is given a thorough check by aircraft technicians before departure.
On the point of partisanship, it is a fact that since the beginning of the 4th Republic, some polarisation has taken place in the Ghana Armed Forces. It is therefore important that in the management of the Armed Forces care must be taken to keep the Armed Forces neutral and not politicised. In my last article on the “Resetting Agenda”, I commented on the removal of all Military Heads at the same time and the reciprocal gesture of the Service Heads, who donated their one month salary to “President Mahama Care Fund” in appreciation of the President’s benevolence. The action taken by the President if pursued in future may not augur well for the unity of the Armed Forces and may affect efficiency and the political direction of the country. Since you have identified this, let us work towards the unity of the Armed Forces and prevent them being torn between the two political parties.
The purpose of the trip to Obuasi has not been explicitly stated but information gathered suggest that a new approach to small scale mining was going to be outdoored. Not much publicity has been given to the launch, but the purpose was to replace the current Community Minning Scheme launched by ex-President Nana Akufo-Addo because the NDC claims the NPP programme benefited the Chinese nationals instead of local communities. This is not the time to comment on the two schemes but It will suffice to say that this situation could have been avoided if the Scheme put up by the NPP had been revisited and refined because the beneficiaries are going to be the same people and many of the lessons learnt of the Scheme could have been rectified. Continuity has not been identified as part of the current administrations’ policy.
Lastly, some lessons have been learnt and more lessons would be uncovered by the time the investigations are completed. We must therefore exercise restraint until we uncover what really happened. However, some issues are mind boggling as it is alleged that the aircraft took off from Accra at 0912 am for a journey which should have ended in about 45minutes time but as at 11 am the Airforce did not know the whereabouts of the aircraft. In this modern technological era, such a lapse is serious. Who oversees our air space? Many more questions remain to be answered.
My old man used to say, “things don’t just happen”. There is a reason for everything that happens under the sun. The fact that one does not know the reason does not mean there is no reason at all. The crash could serve as a warning to the NDC to take a second look at the program they are about to launch because the sacrifice is too expensive.
A word to the wise is enough.
By Brig-Gen (Rtd) J. Odei