Political prophecy and ‘Black Wednesday’: What now?

By Prof. Dr Jeffrey Haynes

Ghana was torn apart on Wednesday 6 August – commonly referred to as ‘Black Wednesday’ – by the tragic deaths of eight people, including two government ministers, Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Science and Technology Minister, Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, both 50. They were among those killed when a military helicopter crashed in the central Ashanti region. Others who died included Deputy National Security Coordinator and former Agriculture Minister, Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, as well as Samuel Sarpong, Vice-Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

According to the Ghana Armed Forces, the helicopter took off from Kotoka International Airport, Accra, just after 9.00am. It headed northwest towards the gold-mining area for an event about tackling illegal mining at the Obuasi Black Park in Obuasi, Ashanti Region. On the journey, it went off the radar. The helicopter’s wreckage was found later, with all of the victims being burnt beyond recognition in a post-crash fire. President Mahama was originally scheduled to attend the event, but instead delegated the ministers to represent him due to a concurrent commitment: the special guest of honour at the Independence Day celebrations of Côte d’Ivoire.

In a televised address to the nation, President Mahama stated that the crash represented ‘a personal loss’ for him, and confirmed that the flight data and cockpit voice recorders – the so-called ‘black boxes’ – were retrieved. The president added that the armed forces had ‘initiated a full and transparent investigation’. Ghana awaits the outcome of their investigations.

Authorities have not confirmed the cause of the crash. Ghana’s meteorological agency had forecast unusually cold weather for August, with recent rains and light showers leading to foggy conditions in some forested areas. Local farmers near the crash site reported morning fog as the helicopter flew overhead. One eyewitness told the BBC that the helicopter was flying at an ‘unusually low altitude’ in ‘bad’ weather, and that he heard the sound of a helicopter passing by, followed by a “loud sound” and then a ‘bang’.

Speaking at a church gathering soon after the crash, Rev. Dr. Stephen Y. Wengam, General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Ghana, shared a dramatic account that President Mahama narrowly avoided being on the crashed military helicopter. Rev. Dr. Wengam said that many people were attributing the President’s escape to divine intervention. ‘People have been calling and posting on social media and saying Assemblies of God, thank you for saving our president’s life’, he stated. This followed what Rev. Dr. Wengam called a ‘prayer battle’ which, allegedly, ‘kept [President] Mahama off helicopter crash’.

Several questions are at the moment unanswered: How do we explain the crash? Was it a helicopter fault which led to the tragedy? Was the failure of the president to be on the doomed helicopter due to Rev. Dr. Wengam’s ‘battle prayer’? H

Several of Ghana’s most publicly recognisable ‘prophets’ – such as, Nigel Gaisie, Isaac Owusu Bempah, Eric Boahen, Nana Kwame, and Prophet Roja – had publicly prophesied that during 2025 there would be a deadly aeroplane crash in Ghana. Some specified it would be on a flight from Accra to Kumasi.

On Sunday 10 August, the Office of the Presidential Envoy for Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations issued a statement urging religious leaders across the country to formally submit any prophecy or spiritual insight of national significance to its office for urgent review. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Presidential Envoy for the Interfaith and Ecumenical Relations Office, noted that the directive specifically applies to prophecies relating to high-profile political leaders, governance, national security, or public stability. The move, according to the statement, is aimed at ensuring responsibility, discernment, and proper stewardship over the nation’s destiny, especially in these times of uncertainty.

The statement also appealed for intense prayers for the President, the government, state institutions, bereaved families, and the nation, following a recent tragic accident involving government officials, military personnel, and NDC party executives. It further reaffirmed the government’s commitment to partnering with faith leaders for the peace and prosperity of Ghana.

Hon. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah is ‘a distinguished Ghanaian politician, visionary leader, and seasoned campaign strategist with a career spanning over 28 years in public service’, who might not have expected the general response to his statement: ridicule. A post on Facebook asserted that if ‘Nana Addo has initiated this ministry of prophecy in Ghana how the Media would have crush[ed] him’. Another noted that ‘Instead [of] focusing on the root cause of the issue (GALAMSEY) we are busy preparing to regulate so called “prophecies” by some greedy bunch of cassock & anointing oil wielding familiar spirits parading on our airwaves as men of god(s).’

Ghana is of course a secular democracy and the issue of ‘political prophecies’ is clearly something which the government believes should be addressed and regulated. But there is a bigger problem which this issue flags: to what extent should religious figures be able to pontificate publicly on political – not religious – issues in ways which might affect how people vote or, more generally, how they think about the government, a political party, or a contentious political issue?

The 1992 constitution restates Ghana’s commitment to religious freedom. But where does this end? Where may it lead? Is it now time for the state to begin the arduous and controversial task of regulating religion in Ghana?