Ghana: Mahama appoints acting defense and environment ministers following death of portfolios holders in helicopter crash

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has appointed two serving ministers to take on additional roles following the deaths of Defense Minister Edward Kofi Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed in a helicopter crash, in the Ashanti Region last Wednesday.

Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson will serve concurrently as acting Minister of Defense, while Lands and Natural Resources Minister Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah will also act as Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation until further notice. The crash claimed the lives of all eight people on board.

The presidency has declared a three-day national mourning period from Thursday to Saturday,  marked by memorials and reflections culminating in a special commemorative event on Saturday evening. The tragic incident has cast a shadow over the Nation, with flags flown at half-mast and Government activities scaled down in respect for the departed ministers and other victims of the crash.