We Have Learned Bitter Lessons From Helicopter Crash - Rashid Tanko-Computer

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), Rashid Tanko-Computer, has said that Ghana has learned important lessons from the military helicopter crash that claimed eight lives in August 2025.

Speaking to 3Music TV at the National Inter-Faith Memorial Service held in Accra to mark one year since the tragedy, Mr Tanko-Computer said the incident had brought painful lessons to the country, particularly because the victims died while carrying out a national assignment.

The Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region on 6 August 2025 while the delegation was travelling to an official engagement related to efforts to address illegal mining.

Mr Tanko-Computer, who was deputy director for elections for the late Dr Edward Omane Boamah, said the country must continue to reflect on the circumstances surrounding the incident and remain committed to the purpose for which the officials were travelling.

"We have learned a lot. I mean, they died through action. They were going to launch this responsible community mining to fight galamsey. That was virtually what they were doing", he said.

He said the government had taken steps to address illegal mining and ensure that individuals involved in financing the activity were held accountable.

“Government has taken it upon itself. The kingpins have started paying for that,” he noted.

Mr Tanko-Computer added that the commitment to fighting illegal mining must continue, saying the sacrifice of those who died should strengthen the country’s resolve to tackle the issue.

“The President is keen on making sure that this galamsey will be a thing of the past, and all those who are sponsoring it, who are financing it, will be fished out and dealt with according to the law,” he said.