Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed was born on December 14, 1974 and died on August 6, 2025.
He was a Ghanaian politician, member of the Eighth and ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana representing the Tamale Central constituency and served as the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation until his death on 6th August 2025.
On 6 August 2025, Mohammed died in a military helicopter crash while traveling to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region. He was aboard a Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter that went down in the Adansi Akrofuom District.
The crash claimed the lives of all onboard, including the Minister of Defence, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator – Alhaji Muniru Mohammed, Vice Chairman of NDC – Dr Samuel Sarpong, Former MP – Mr. Samuel Aboagye, Squadron leader Peter Anala, Flying Officer Twum Ampadu, and Sergeant Ernest Addo.
He once served as the member of Parliament for Nanton, the Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations and the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry.
Murtala Mohammmed was Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency in the Northern Region. In December 2024, he was re-elected to serve as Member of Parliament for Tamale Central Constituency in the Ninth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
He was a Muslim and married with three children.
As a Minister of State
In January 2025, President John Dramani Mahama appointed Murtala as Minister for Environment, Science and Technology. He assumed office on February 12, 2025 upon his approval by Parliament.
Deputy Minister
In March 2013, John Dramani Mahama appointed Muhammed as Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations and subsequently Trade and Industry under the John Mahama government from between 2013–2017.
After serving in that capacity for a year, the Ministry of Information and Media Relations and the Ministry of Communications were merged and Muhammed was moved along with Kweku Rickets-Hagan to serve as deputy ministers under new Trade and Industry Minister, Ekwow Spio Garbrah.
He served in this role until his party lost the 2016 elections and handed over government to the New Patriotic Party in January 2017.
Early years and education
Muhammed attended Ghana Senior High (GHANASCO), Tamale. He was a trained teacher who held a teacher’s certificate A from Tamale College of Education (TACE), formerly Tamale training College (TATCO).
He also held a master’s degree in Development Planning and International Relations and Diplomacy from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Ghana respectively.
Political career
In 2009, after a change of political power from the NPP to NDC, Murtala Muhammed was appointed the deputy national coordinator of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) by John Evans Atta Mills which was later rebranded into Ghana Youth Employment Development Agency, (GYEDA).
He held this position until he was elected Member of Parliament for the Nanton Constituency in the 2012 Elections.
Member of Parliament
In 2006, following the decision by Wayo Seini, MP for Tamale Central constituencydefect to the NPP, a by-election was declared fill in the vacancy. Muhammed stood for the NDC primaries but lost to Inusah Fuseini who eventually won the by-election replace Wayo Seini. Muhammed contested his party’s primaries in 2008 and lost again to Fuseini who went on to retain his position in Parliament. Muhammed moved to stand for the primaries in the Nanton Constituency and this time, he won to represent the NDC as its Parliamentary candidate for the 2012 election.
2012 Parliamentary elections
Muhammed served as member of parliament for the Nanton Constituency in the sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
In December 2012, he won the parliamentary election to represent the Nanton constituency by getting 10,369 votes representing 52.66% of the total votes cast against his closest contender who was the incumbent member of parliament, Abdul-Kareem Iddrisu who got 8,667 votes representing 44.02%.
2016 Parliamentary elections
In 2016, after serving one term in parliament, he lost his bid to be re-elected as member of parliament to Mohammed Hardi Tuferu. Tuferu garnered 11,346 votes representing 51.84% against Muhammed’s 10,451 votes representing 47.75% of the votes cast.
Ahead of the elections, Muhammed was heard publicly accusing an NDC MP in the northern region of plotting to unseat him.
2020 Parliamentary elections
After the member of parliament for Tamale Central Inusah Fuseini decided not seek re-election in the 2020 elections, Muhammed contested his Party’s parliamentary primaries.
In August 2019, he won the primaries after getting 737 votes against his two contenders Alhassan Adam and Abdul Hanan Gundado who got 181 votes and 319 votes respectively.
He went on to win the main election, securing his return to parliament as MP for Tamale Central by obtaining 41,156 votes while the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) Ibrahim Anyars got 33,699 votes. In Parliament, Muhammed was a member of the Public Accounts Committee and Trade and Industry committees.
2024 parliamentary election
In December 2024, he won the parliamentary election on the ticket of the NDC to represent Tamale Central by securing 52,263 votes whiles his opponent had 16,647 votes. He retained the seat as MP for the Tamale Central.
