All you need to know about state funeral for helicopter crash victims set for Friday

The state funeral for victims of the Wednesday, August 6, 2025, helicopter crash will take place on Friday, August 15, 2025, at the Black Star Square in Accra, starting at 7:30 a.m.

The Ghana Armed Forces will lead the ceremony.

Briefing the media at the Black Star Square on Thursday, August 14, 2025, Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations at the Office of the President, Mr Stan Dogbe, said the event will be held in three parts: a pre-burial service, the main funeral, and the burial at the Military Cemetery at Burma Camp.

The pre-burial session, scheduled between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., will include tributes, Quran recitations, and institutional eulogies.

Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang is expected to arrive at 8:50 a.m. followed by President John Dramani Mahama at 9 a.m. after which the state service will begin.

Mr Dogbe said tributes will be delivered by colleagues, parents, siblings, widows, children, and senior government officials. The biographies of the six victims yet to be buried will also be read.

“After the service, the bodies of the six that are yet to be buried will be conveyed to the Military Cemetery at Burma Camp for burial,” he stated.

He urged mourners to arrive early, remain under designated canopies, and comply with security and protocol arrangements to maintain a solemn atmosphere.

He said heavy security will be in place “not because the President and the Vice-President are here but also for the safety of all mourners”.

Seating will be labelled, and only accredited camera operators, video camera operators, and photographers will be allowed within the inner perimeter.

Media organisations without accreditation are to use the designated media stands, where audio and clean video feeds will be provided.