Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Sam George, has revealed that he considered shutting down Ghana’s internet following the rapid spread of disturbing videos showing the charred remains of Dr. Omane Boamah, Murtala Mohammed, and six others who perished in the August 6 helicopter crash.
The minister said in an interview on JoyNews monitored by GHnow.com on August 12, 2025.
According to the Minister, the graphic footage, much of it shared on WhatsApp, began circulating before government had officially notified the victims’ families, raising concerns about the mental health of bereaved relatives, including children.
“I was faced with two options. One was to shut down the internet to prevent further spread of the videos, and the other was to leave it running and manage the fallout. I worried about the impact on the families, especially the kids, and felt the way such tragic news was broken was insensitive,” George said.
The Minister explained that although cutting internet access could have stemmed the spread, it risked triggering wider disruptions, including blocking streams of legitimate news coverage. Ultimately, he chose to keep the internet online and instead activated emergency measures.
He contacted Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, to request immediate removal of the footage from their platforms. While Meta swiftly deleted the videos from Facebook and Instagram, the encrypted nature of WhatsApp meant they could not stop private sharing.
The Ministry also worked with the National Communications Authority (NCA) and telecom operators MTN, Telecel, and AT Ghana to send out 30 million text messages within two hours, urging the public to refrain from sharing the videos. The telecom companies absorbed the cost of the mass alerts.
George criticized sections of the media for streaming the same distressing images live, describing it as unethical and disrespectful to grieving families. He urged journalists and content creators to balance breaking news with sensitivity, drawing parallels with how foreign media handled similar tragedies such as the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash.
The Minister revealed that his ministry is currently working on 15 new pieces of legislation to “future-proof” Ghana’s technology sector, including updates to the Electronic Communications Act. Provisions will draw from the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Code of Ethics to set clear boundaries for broadcasting sensitive content.
“We will not censor the media’s ability to publish, but we will set parameters based on ethical standards journalists themselves have agreed upon,” he stressed.
George also pledged ongoing engagement with bloggers and social media influencers to promote responsible content sharing, emphasizing that ignorance would no longer be an excuse for circulating harmful material.