Minority Presses Mahama to Appoint Substantive Defence and Environment Ministers

The Minority in Parliament has urged President John Dramani Mahama to appoint substantive ministers to the Ministries of Defence and Environment. The call follows the deaths of the two former ministers in a helicopter crash last year. Several months on, both ministries remain without permanent leadership.

Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin made the demand on Tuesday as Parliament resumed sittings for the ninth session. He warned that the absence of substantive ministers weakens governance and accountability.

“Outside this chamber, the situation is harsher, a nation without two important ministers,” he said.

“It has been months since the tragic helicopter crash that took our Ministers for Defence and Environment. These vital ministries remain without substantive leadership.”

Currently, the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, serves as Acting Minister for Defence.

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Armah Kofi Buah, is also acting as Minister for the Environment.

The Minority says this arrangement is inadequate.

“It is not enough to have a Finance Minister with enormous responsibilities also overseeing the Defence Ministry,” Afenyo-Markin argued.

The caucus insists that the President must nominate substantive ministers to ensure effective leadership.

The demand follows a helicopter crash last year that claimed the lives of the Ministers for Defence and Environment, along with five other passengers. The aircraft was on an official assignment when it went down. All occupants on board died.

In November 2025, the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIB Ghana) released its full report on the crash. The investigation was led by the National Security Coordinator, COP Abdul-Razak Osman, alongside nine other members.

Despite the findings, both ministries have continued to operate under acting leadership, a situation the Minority says can not continue indefinitely without affecting efficiency and oversight.