The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr. Frank Amoakohene, has confirmed the recovery of the black box from the Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter that crashed in the Adansi Akrofuom District on Wednesday, August 6, killing eight high-ranking government and military officials.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, August 7, Dr. Amoakohene announced that a joint team of investigators had successfully located the device — a critical step toward determining the cause of the fatal accident.

The recovery mission was led by officers from the Ghana Air Force and other military units, with support from local residents and the Assembly Member for the area, who guided the team through dense forest terrain to the remote crash site.

The disaster, described as one of the worst aviation tragedies in recent Ghanaian history, claimed the lives of:

Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence

Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation

Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator

Samuel Aboagye, former parliamentary candidate

Dr. Samuel Sarpong, Vice Chairman of the NDC and former Regional Minister

Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala

Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu

Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah

Initial reports suggest the helicopter was en route to Obuasi when it went off radar, prompting a rapid search and rescue operation.

The recovered black box is expected to yield vital flight data and cockpit recordings, offering investigators key insights into the chain of events that led to the crash.