President John Mahama has announced the establishment of a dedicated fund to support the children of the eight people who perished in the August 6 Ghana Air Force helicopter crash.
The announcement was made on Tuesday, August 12, during the funeral rites of the late Deputy National Security Coordinator, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, one of the victims of the tragedy.
The crash claimed the lives of all on board the Harbin Z-9 aircraft, including two cabinet ministers Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed along with senior officials and crew members.
President Mahama said the fund would ensure that the dependants, particularly the young children of the deceased, are protected from hardship. He made special mention of the two-month-old child of Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala, the pilot of the ill-fated helicopter.
“It’s a difficult calamity. Those who died were in the prime of their lives, with great responsibilities children still in school, some with infants as young as two months. We must ensure that the absence of their parents does not adversely affect the innocent children,” the President said.
The fund, to be officially unveiled at the state funeral scheduled for Friday, August 15, will focus on supporting the victims’ children through their education and future welfare. Citizens and organisations will have the opportunity to contribute.
The other victims of the crash included Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator; Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate; Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the NDC; Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu; and Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah.
The group was en route to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region for an anti-galamsey engagement when the helicopter went off radar. A search-and-rescue mission later confirmed there were no survivors.
