The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has disclosed that American experts have agreed to assist the country in decoding the content of the black box on the Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter that crashed on August 6.
He explained that this will ensure transparency in arriving at the cause of the crash.
The crash resulted in the death of all 8 persons on board the aircraft.
This has made it difficult for the cause to be ascertained. According to an Aviation expert, Wing Commander Sorgbordjor, the only source of information on the cause of the accident is the black box.
He said on TV3’s KeyPoints on August 9 that “we either have to get the manufacturers to come or we send the black box to them.”
Addressing newsmen in Accra on August 14, the Foreign Affairs Minister said, “…I can confirm to you that the Chinese have already been contacted,
“But in the President’s wisdom, the President does not want anything to proceed without independent aspects, and I think that it is quite fair, so that we will just avoid all doubts, so that people will not raise issues of probably conflict of interest, maybe people with some kind of special interest trying to cover up, and all of that.
Mr Ablakwa further explained that, “So, seeing that the Americans are far removed from this process, and they offer that independent expertise required, I think that we need to applaud the President’s wisdom in this matter, and we need to also really thank our American partners for agreeing to assist us in this regard.
He reiterated President Mahama’s quest for transparency.
“And the President has said that there should be utmost transparency, and that at all steps of the way, when these aspects arrive, when the investigations commence, when the investigations progress, when the investigations conclude, every stage of the way the Ghanaian people should be kept in the loop. They should know about what is happening, and I can give you the fullest of assurances that there will be no attempt to conceal,” he stated.
Mr Ablakwa used the opportunity to assure all interested parties that their concerns will be addressed.
“I have heard some civil society organizations and some other analysts raise concern about, if you like, lack of information about the investigative processes. It is just because it hasn’t commenced. We are waiting for the aspects before these investigations are done,” he explained.
