Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has delivered a moving tribute to his late friend and political ally, Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, one of the victims of the August 6 helicopter crash.
The Foreign Affairs Minister and MP for North Tongu reflected on their decades-long friendship, tracing it back to student activism. He revealed how Dr. Omane Boamah’s admiration for revolutionary figure Ernesto Che Guevara shaped his life and political journey.
“Omane Boamah and Che Guevara had a lot in common,” Ablakwa said speaking at the memorial service held for the eight victims of the helicopter crash.
“Both were medical doctors who believed revolutions heal better than medicine, and both died on the frontlines — Che fighting for political justice, Omane for environmental justice.”
Ablakwa recalled how Dr. Omane Boamah served as NUGS President before him, making a lasting impact through his famous GETFund agitations, which safeguarded statutory allocations to the fund.
This effort, Ablakwa noted, helped protect what is now a key resource for several of President Mahama’s educational policies, including the No Fees Stress initiative, the GHS50 million Research Fund, and Free Sanitary Pads.
Their personal bond extended beyond politics. Dr. Omane Boamah was the only person to read Ablakwa’s draft manifesto for the 2005 NUGS election, offering strategic advice that helped secure his narrow six-vote victory.
In return, Ablakwa stood by his friend through life’s milestones — serving as MC at his wedding in 2006, celebrating the birth of his first daughter in 2007, and sharing personal family moments.
“We were always there for each other,” Ablakwa said, describing Dr. Omane Boamah as a “big brother, comrade, confidante, and ever-present political ally” whose influence was felt not just in activism and governance, but in friendship and solidarity.
