Fishing boats should not be used to ferry passengers on rivers since they are purposely for fishing expeditions, a committee that investigated the recent boat disaster on the Volta Lake has recommended.
This was one of the recommendations of the Inland Waterways Casualty Investigation Report of the nine-member fact-finding committee set up by the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) to investigate the Volta Lake boat disaster that claimed 16 lives, mostly children, on October 11, 2025.
Up to 25 passengers were travelling on the overloaded fishing canoe meant for seven persons from a fishing community of Okuma Island to Debu.
Such small boats, the committee recommended, were to be privately owned to ferry small numbers, usually families, to wherever they wanted to go, but not as a commercial means of transport.
The committee further recommended the establishment of safety guards to be recruited from the various communities along the Volta Lake.
Meeting, report
The investigation committee, headed by Capt. Clifford Agyarko-Osei presented its report to the GMA at Kete-Krachi in the Oti Region last Thursday.
The report was received by the Board Chair of the authority, Jemilat Jawula Mahama, with the Director-General of the authority, Dr Kamal-Deen Ali, also in attendance.
The meeting, which was also attended by boat owners and operators, the Ghana Navy, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) non-governmental organisations, among others, was also to ensure that life remained safe in the operation of the boat service.
The board members took time from their busy schedule and visited a satellite office of the GMA at Kete-Krachi.
The nine-member fact-finding committee was chaired by Captain Clifford Osei Agyako, with Naval Captain Abu Mahama as co-Chairman and Spokesman.
Enforcement
The Board Chairperson of the GMA, Ms Mahama, commended the committee for completing its work within a short period.
She emphasised that fishing boats must no longer be used to transport passengers and gave an assurance that an office would soon be established at Kete-Krachi, from where safety officers would strictly enforce maritime laws.
Ms Mahama expressed concern that some passengers complained about the brief discomfort caused by wearing life jackets, noting that the gear was meant to ensure their safety.
She assured the gathering that adequate life jackets would soon be provided for boat owners and operators to enhance safety on the Volta Lake.
The board chairperson also informed participants that special timber types suitable for boat construction would soon be introduced to them.
The Krachi-West Municipal Director, Blankson Kwaku Nsiah, appealed for cooperation and expressed the hope that the recommendations and their implementation would have a positive impact on safety measures on the lake.
National loss
Following the accident, the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, led a government delegation to commiserate with the bereaved families and to support survivors and their relatives.
Speaking to the community and the families of the deceased, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang described the tragedy as a national loss, adding that it had touched the hearts of all Ghanaians.
As a show of support, the Vice-President also donated 650 life jackets and other relief items to support both the bereaved and survivors of the incident.
