Accra: Mr Adib Saani, Executive Director of the Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building, has urged that military aviation safety be prioritized as a matter of national security. He emphasized the importance of this approach to protect critical state officials and ensure government continuity, especially since military aircraft are regularly used to transport senior government and security officials.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr Saani, who is also a Security Analyst, made this call during an interview as the nation commemorated the tragic military helicopter crash on August 6, 2026, at Adansi Akrofuom in the Ashanti Region. The crash involved a Ghana Armed Forces Z-9EH military helicopter, which had departed from Accra en route to Obuasi, resulting in the death of eight individuals, including key government figures and Ghana Air Force personnel.
President John Dramani Mahama responded to the tragedy by forming an Investigative Board of Inquiry. The investigation revealed that a sudden loss of altitude and lift, due to a downdraft associated with changing environmental conditions over high terrain, caused the accident. Mr Saani highlighted the need to review aviation safety protocols and implement measures to mitigate avoidable risks, stressing the importance of not concentrating numerous strategically significant officials in a single aircraft.
Mr Saani called for a reassessment of protocols governing the transportation of ministers, senior national security officials, and mission-critical personnel, particularly during periods of high air travel demand. He emphasized the need for distributing mission-essential officials across multiple aircraft or flights when possible. He also advocated for stronger collaboration among the Ghana Airports Company Limited, security agencies, and the Ghana Meteorological Agency to enhance weather intelligence and support flight-risk assessments.
Furthermore, Mr Saani underscored the necessity of empowering pilots to exercise their professional judgment and refuse or abort missions they deem unsafe without facing political or personal pressure. He stressed the importance of this discretion during peacetime operations and called for an evaluation of Ghana's military aviation fleet's age, capability, and suitability for current missions.
He cautioned that acquiring new aircraft alone would not address aviation safety issues and called for rigorous preventive maintenance, reliable spare-parts supply chains, well-trained engineers, proper maintenance documentation, and independent compliance checks. He pointed out that weaknesses in these areas could compromise safety even with modern aircraft.
Regarding the investigation's findings, Mr Saani noted that their value depended on the implementation of recommendations. He acknowledged that national-security considerations might limit the public disclosure of information but urged that principal findings and recommendations be shared where possible.
Mr Saani expressed condolences to the families of the crash victims and highlighted the personal pain he felt over the loss of Alhaji Murtala Mohammed, whom he considered more than a friend. He encouraged the nation to remember the victims and support their families.