Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has stated that the late Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah was poised to deliver a decisive blow to the country’s galamsey crisis before his untimely death.
Speaking during an interview on The Point of View on Monday,August 11,Mr. Ablakwa described Dr. Boamah as a “visionary leader” who had the political will and operational clarity to tackle the long-standing scourge of unregulated gold mining, which has severely degraded Ghana’s environment and strained its water resources.
“We have really lost people who had so much promise—people who could have changed the destiny of our country,” Mr. Ablakwa said. “I have no doubt that Dr. Omane Boamah would have solved this galamsey crisis.”
According to Mr. Ablakwa, Dr. Boamah had privately communicated an unwavering stance on deploying military force against illegal mining operations—rejecting the influence of political figures seeking to shield certain operators.
“He told me, ‘The military will be deployed. I’m not engaging in any political pretense. These troops are risking their lives. I won’t cut deals,’” Ablakwa recounted. “He would even show me who was calling—party executives—and insist he wouldn’t be compromised.”
Dr. Boamah’s plan had, according to Mr. Ablakwa, the full backing of President John Mahama. “President Mahama said, ‘Look, you have my full blessings, go ahead,’” he said.
The late Defence Minister was among eight victims of a military helicopter crash on August 6, in Ghana’s Ashanti Region. The Z-9 aircraft, carrying three crew members and five passengers, went off radar after departing Accra at 9:12 a.m. en route to Obuasi, where the officials were scheduled to attend an anti-illegal mining operation.
The crash claimed the lives of several top government and security officials, including Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation; Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Aboagye, a former parliamentary candidate; and Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress.
Also killed were crew members Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The Ghana Armed Forces launched a search-and-rescue operation shortly after losing contact with the helicopter. By the end of the day, the operation had turned into a recovery mission.
The tragedy has reignited national debate about the galamsey crisis and raised questions over the continuity of anti-mining operations in the wake of the deaths of key architects of the effort. For Mr. Ablakwa, the loss is not just institutional but deeply personal.
“Dr. Omane Boamah wasn’t just planning to fight galamsey,” he said. “He was ready to win that war.
