Photo Credit – WADR
“We tell the dead to rest in peace, when we should be worried about the living to live in peace.” – Anthony Liccione
After the State Funeral, what next?
Should life simply go on as usual?
It’s been a month since the tragic crash of the Ghana Air Force Harbin Z‑9EH military helicopter in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region.
On Wednesday, August 6, 2025, eight gallant officers lost their lives while en route to an official assignment on the theme Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP). This flagship initiative was designed to transform Ghana’s artisanal and small-scale mining sector and address the widespread issues of illegal mining, “galamsey”. Radar contact was lost, and the helicopter later crashed into a forested area.
These men left behind grieving families, and a nation in mourning. Their service to God and country must not be in vain.
We’ve been here before…
When Major Maxwell Mahama was brutally lynched on May 29, 2017, in Denkyira Obuasi (now New Obuasi), it was supposed to be a turning point but the cycle still continues..He died in line of duty protecting a mining concession under threat from illegal miners. Unfortunately, the menace of galamsey still persists.
Illegal mining is not just an environmental threat, it worsens climate change and undermines our fight for SDG 13: Climate Action. Forests are lost, rivers are poisoned and communities are endangered.
Where did these fallen patriots go wrong?
They didn’t. We did!
We owe it to their memory and to future generations to ensure that justice is not just symbolic, but transformative. The laws of this land must work.
Let’s not let their deaths be in vain.
Let’s honour their sacrifice by demanding accountability, enforce environmental laws, and protect both people and the planet.
The time for action is NOW!
Last modified: November 29, 2025
