The Daily Graphic is compelled to sound the alarm once again following the harrowing boat disaster on the Volta Lake near Kete Krachi in the Oti Region on October 11, 2025, that cruelly claimed the lives of 11 children aged between two and 14, alongside four adults.
This ghastly incident, occurring against a backdrop of repeated tragedies on Ghana's inland waterways, screams of systemic failure and raises piercing questions about the efficacy of safety measures purportedly in place.
The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) swiftly deployed a specialised investigative team of maritime safety investigators and Navy Task Force personnel from Dambai, the regional capital, to the scene – a response that, while commendable, begs the critical inquiry: Where was proactive vigilance when these vulnerable lives boarded an evidently unsafe vessel that fateful Saturday?
Boat disasters on the Volta Lake are distressingly familiar, etching a tragic pattern where overloading, unskilled operators, absence of life jackets, and blatant disregard for safety protocols recurrently culminate in avoidable loss of precious lives, disproportionately claiming young ones.
History tragically rhymes: The Amevlovikope Island incident saw 200 people on board a capsized boat with 84 bodies recovered; eight schoolchildren perished in a 2023 accident; and now 15 souls lost this year, 11 being innocent children.
The GMA’s preliminary report on the latest calamity underscores the boat’s gross overloading beyond safe capacity – a stark indictment pointing to glaring regulatory lapses. Such systemic neglect transforms the Volta Lake, a vital artery serving over two million Ghanaians, into an unrelenting deathtrap.
Post-tragedy ritualism is as disheartening as the disasters themselves. Duty bearers descend upon grief-stricken communities, assuring support, only to retreat into offices, vanishing from sight until the next calamity strikes.
The GMA’s affirmation of commitment to “strictly enforcing safety” and unravelling root causes rings hollow for bereaved families – assurances too late for 15 irreplaceable lives lost. When will rhetoric yield to relentless action?
Causes of these disasters are neither mysterious nor inevitable: overloaded boats, unskilled operators often manning vessels with children at the helm, and apathy towards life jackets.
Addressing these requires sustained community engagement – not episodic bursts post-disaster – coupled with uncompromising enforcement of regulations.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament rightly urges immediate government action, stressing the Volta Lake’s status as a “critical national asset” demanding safeguarded usage.
We implore the GMA to transcend ritualistic responses.
Constant, vigorous community engagements – especially on school days and weekends – must supplant fleeting post-mortem visits.
The government’s backing in logistics and manpower is non-negotiable for effectuating safety along the Lake.
Ghana cannot continue skirting challenges; tackling these preventable tragedies demands resolve, transcending political cycles.
Eleven children and four adults should not have perished in a disaster foretold by systemic indifference.
The Daily Graphic beseeches authorities: let this tragedy catalyse an end to the Volta Lake’s deadly chapter.
The GMA must metamorphose promises into perpetual vigilance that safeguards communities.
The authority, as the regulator, must intensify oversight, enforce vessel registration and loading limits.
Over two million Ghanaians rely on this waterway – their right to safe passage is sacrosanct.
We owe it to victims past and present to dismantle this cycle of neglect.
Enough is enough!
And to dismantle this negative cycle of neglect, it is obvious that government and stakeholder collaboration is imperative.
We must ensure that the communities and their leaders are empowered to become champions in safety advocacy.
The Daily Graphic demands accountability.
Lives lost on the Volta Lake are not mere statistics – they are Ghanaian children, mothers and fathers.
Let action match anguish. No more empty promises.
Safety on Ghana’s inland waters is not optional – it is obligatory.
