President John Mahama has announced a series of memorials to honour the eight victims of the recent military helicopter crash, culminating in a state funeral at Black Star Square on Friday, 15 August 2025.

On Saturday, 9 August, a national “Evening of Reflections and Memorials” will take place at the Forecourt of the State House.

Condolence books will be opened at key ministries and institutions connected to the victims from August 10 to 14.

The president disclosed these on Thursday (7 August) at a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at the Ceremonial Gardens of Jubilee House to honour the memory of the eight individuals who perished in Wednesday’s tragic military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.

The symbolic event, steeped in grief and reflection, formed part of three days of national mourning declared by President John Dramani Mahama in the wake of the catastrophe.

Among the eight victims were high-ranking government officials—Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science and Technology Minister Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed—as well as senior military officers and party officials.

The helicopter, which was on a government-sanctioned assignment, went down under circumstances that are currently being investigated by aviation and military authorities.

The wreath-laying ceremony brought together key figures of the state, including President Mahama, Vice President Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyeman, Chief of Staff Julius Debrah, National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia, members of the Council of State, the security services, and a host of grieving family members and friends.

In a show of national solidarity, representatives of political parties, civil society, and the general public also paid their respects.

As the names of the victims were read out, a military band played sombre tunes while state officials and bereaved relatives took turns to lay wreaths. The emotional atmosphere was a poignant reflection of the magnitude of the loss suffered by the country.

President Mahama, in brief remarks after the ceremony, described the crash as “one of the darkest moments in Ghana’s recent history” and assured the nation that every effort would be made to ensure a full investigation into the cause of the incident.

The national mourning period will continue until Saturday, 9 August, and will culminate in an “Evening of Reflections and Memorials” at the Forecourt of the State House in Accra.

Story by: Isaac Clottey