For months, a frantic but silent search went on for the heavy pair of shoes belonging to the late Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Ghana’s former Minister for Defence, who tragically died alongside seven others in a helicopter crash on August 6, 2025, while on national assignment.
During the recent festive season, the search for the “pair of shoes” intensified and finally discovered. Not worn. Not Kept well. But abandoned, left to gather dust, an image that painfully mirrors a growing vacuum in leadership and legacy.
A situation that is slowly becoming allergic to the very ideals Dr. Omane Boamah stood for.
It is Christmas, but the heavy generosity presents of Dr. Omane Boamah is missing in the Eastern Region.
His kind gesture towards the party faithfuls and individuals outside politics has disappeared. “If Dr. Omane Boamah was alive, this Christmas would have been more enjoyable” widespread sentiments echoing among party faithfuls.
But before delving into the meaning of this abandoned “pair of shoes”, and talk about someone identified with the “shoes” in the region, it is worth reminding ourselves of the man whose footsteps are missed.
The man, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah was born on December 26, 1975, at the Nkawkaw Holy Family Hospital to the late Mr. Edward Kwame Omane and Madam Leticia Asante (Sister Abena), natives of Koforidua Effiduase and Kwahu Obomeng respectively. He was their only son.
His academic journey began at Koforidua Experimental Basic School, followed by Pope John Senior High School and Junior Seminary, where he studied from 1989 to 1996.
In March 2006, he earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Ghana, including a clinical elective at the Washington University School of Medicine in the United States. He later pursued a Master’s degree in Health Policy, Planning and Financing at the London School of Economics and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2018.
Dr. Omane Boamah’s leadership journey was evident early. In 2002, he was elected President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS).
His public service record is distinguished:
Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology (2009),Deputy Minister for Youth and Sports,Minister for Communications and Information and Director of Elections and IT for the NDC during the successful 2024 elections that recorded unprecedented victory margin for the NDC.
He was appointed Minister for Defence by President John Dramani Mahama, where he recorded remarkable achievements within a short period before his untimely death.
A devout Catholic, Dr. Omane Boamah lived his Christian faith practically; touching lives through humility, generosity, and service.
His final funeral rite, held in Koforidua on December 13, 2025, was marked by an extraordinary and violent rainstorm that ripped through canopies, sending them flying. It was as if nature itself struggled to contain the grief of his painful exit.
Mourners including journalists covering the funeral were drenched by the tears of the rainstorm.
Dr. Omane Boamah was the engine of political growth for the NDC in the Eastern Region.
He strategically positioned himself as the party’s pillar, mobilising resources, building structures, mentoring young leaders, and sustaining party presence whether in opposition or in government.
The fruits of Dr. Omane Boamah’s labour are reflected in recent scientific political research by Polster Musa Dankwa, which identifies the Eastern Region as a swing region, no longer a traditional stronghold of the NPP.
His impact is visible in people, structures, and results. One notable beneficiary of his mentorship is Dr. Mark Oliver Kevor, the current Eastern Regional Chairman of the NDC and Director-General of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA).
Dr. Kevor is widely regarded as a political protege’ of the late Dr. Omane Boamah—shaped intellectually and politically in leadership grounded in sincerity, dedication, generosity, and humanity.
Late Dr.Omane Boamah was a symbol of leadership,a symbol of sacrifice and a symbol of political investment and strategy
This is the heavy “pair of shoes” now found abandoned in the Eastern region.
Months after his passing, the NDC in the Eastern Region is struggling to find someone who is connected ,resourced , willing, and able, to wear the shoes.
The party stands at a crossroads, faced with the risk of losing hard-earned gains if the legacy is not consciously sustained.
Who Wears the Shoes Next?
As a journalist, I see many appointees from the Region in this government, but struggling to identify any with same level of commitment and willingness to sacrifice same as late Dr. Edward Omane Boamah did.
But one name stands tall even among party faithfuls and the grassroot of the party: Dr. Mark Oliver Kevor, PhD.
Having served as Regional Secretary and now Regional Chairman, his leadership has left a visible imprint across the region; through youth empowerment, organisational growth, and grassroots engagement. He is sefless and very dedicated to the NDC in the region.
If the NDC seeks to raise another Dr. Omane Boamah, to wear that abandoned and heavy pair of shoes, Mark Oliver Kevor remains the closest fit.
The party must therefore strategically empower him, not merely for personal elevation, but to protect and consolidate the political gains painstakingly built by the late Dr. Omane Boamah.
Failure to do so risks allowing dust to permanently settle on a legacy that once carried hope, strength, and direction for the NDC in the Eastern Region.
WRITTEN BY OBED KOJO ANSAH – JOURNALIST
Source : Starrfm.com.gh
