How Ghana's Late Defence Minister Dr Edward Omane Boamah Left the NPP to Join NDC
- The sudden death of Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Ghana's Defence Minister, and seven others in a helicopter crash has left the nation in mourning
- A senior statesman, Ato Ahwoi, disclosed that Dr. Boamah was a staunch NPP supporter but eventually left them to join the NDC
- Ato Ahwoi made these remarks while remembering the late Minister for Defence on Metro TV on Friday, August 8, 2025
Don't miss out! Get your daily dose of sports news straight to your phone. Join YEN's Sports News channel on WhatsApp now!
The sudden demise of Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, Ghana's Defence Minister, and seven others in the helicopter crash has left the entire nation in grief.
Beyond his professional life as a medical doctor and numerous ministerial roles, Dr. Omane Boamah's political journey was marked by a significant period of transition.
Source: UGC
According to Ato Ahwoi, a senior statesman, Dr. Boamah was a staunch supporter of the New Patriotic Party during his days at the University of Ghana, where he served as the President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS).
Speaking to Metro TV on Friday, August 8, 2025, the senior statesman disclosed that he was tasked by Ghana's late former President, John Evans Atta Mills, to recruit all past NUGS presidents to join the NDC campaign in the run-up to the 2008 elections.
Ato Ahwoi stated that the late Dr. Boamah did not like the NDC, as the strong NPP supporter he was at the time.
Despite his initial reservations about the NDC, Mr. Ahwoi said Dr. Boamah eventually ditched the NPP for the NDC, working his way through the ranks to become a valuable member of the party.
"I managed to convince Omane to join the NDC after I had been instructed by Prof. Mills to recruit all past NUGS presidents. He was then with the NPP and didn't like the NDC, but became very close, like my son," Mr. Ato Ahwoi said.
Read the post below:
Kwesi Pratt's version of the story
Earlier this year, veteran journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr. shared his account of how the late Dr. Omane Boamah became a member of the NDC.
Speaking on the Alhaji and Alhaji show on RadioGold, Mr. Pratt disclosed that Dr. Omane Boamah was initially a member of the opposition NPP.
However, according to Pratt, he left the NPP to join the NDC after facing criticism from his party members for speaking out against the harsh conditions in the country during former President John Agyekum Kufuor's administration.
"In the second term of President Kufuor, when prices were running helter-skelter, especially of fuel, and so on, we decided to set up the Committee for Joint Action. So, at the meeting, I argued that what was happening was something that worried even people in the NPP, and therefore, it was important to get those people in the NPP to speak out," he said.
"So, I was tasked with finding someone like that. At the time, Dr. Omane Boamah, as President of NUGS, was under attack by the NPP and had been drawn into a fight with them. So, I suggested Dr. Omane Boamah, and I was asked to bring him in and have him read the first statement of the Committee for Joint Action. That's how Dr. Omane Boamah eventually became a member of the NDC and rose to the very top, and there are many others," he added.
A brief profile of Dr Omane Boamah
Born in 1974, Dr Omane Boamah, the only child of his mother, was a medical doctor by profession.
He previously served as Ghana's Minister for Communication between 2013 and 2017 during President Mahama's first term in office.
Between 2012 and 2013, he served as Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports. Prior to assuming that role, he was the Deputy Minister for Environment, Science and Technology from 2009 to 2012, under the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
For his academic background, Dr Boamah was an alumnus of Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary in Koforidua, University of Ghana Medical School, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, USA, London School of Economics, and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Source: UGC
Helicopter crash claims eight lives
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that Dr. Omane Boamah died in a helicopter crash at Obuasi on Wednesday, August 6, 2025, along with seven other prominent Ghanaians.
The victims included the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ibrahim Muntala Mohammed, and several others who were confirmed dead.
Deputy National Security Coordinator Limuna Muniru, former Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Samuel Sarpong, and former NDC candidate for Obuasi East, Samuel Aboagye, also lost their lives in the tragedy.
Source: YEN.com.gh
