Stakeholders want life jackets on waterways to be required.

Naval Captain Ben Baba Abdul, the interim Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) of the Ghana Navy’s Riverine Command, has urged boat owners in Ada to educate passengers on the importance of wearing life jackets when using the local waterways.

He asserted that reducing accidents on waterways would require education and enforcement of the wearing of life jackets prior to boarding vessels.

Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, the Member of Parliament for Ada, visited Azizanya to inspect the circumstances surrounding last Saturday’s mishap on the Volta Lake and to offer his condolences to the relatives of the victims when Navy Captain Abdul made the call.

The canoe they were sailing in collapsed near Azizakpe in the Ada East District of the Greater Accra Region, killing five persons, three of whom were children.

The disaster happened as the affected individuals were making their way to an over-bank settlement called Azizakpe for a burial from Azizanya.

Life jackets weren’t available to any of the passengers.

Life jackets are essential.

The usage of this safety measure must be a mandatory component of maritime transport operations on the Volta Lake and other bodies of water in the nation, according to Naval Captain Abdul.

“Education is essential to solving these issues. In order to organize educational outreach, we will work with the Ghana Maritime Authority and other stakeholders. We want to apply the same model here since it is well-structured back on the Volta Lake, he said.

He said that in order to find an expedient solution to some of the problems and guarantee the safety of those who travel on the lake, the Navy would collaborate with the various stakeholders.

Background.

On March 18, 2023, at nine in the morning, there was an accident that was apparently brought on by overloading and severe winds.

Gifty Mamle Agbasi, a survivor, reported that none of the canoe’s passengers were wearing life jackets.

She stated that there were no life jackets present, and that the canoe was empty other than for two crates of alcohol.

We were more people than the boat was designed to hold, but the operator assured us that nothing would happen.

She continued, saying that the canoe capsized a short while after it had started, but she was lucky to have been saved by some rescuers who raced in with canoes.

No cost life jackets.

The assembly was urged by Madam Cudjoe-Ghansah to buy and give out life jackets to boaters on the Volta Lake in Ada.

She explained that was done to aid the operators in ensuring the security of the passengers.

After giving out the life jackets, the MP suggested that the assembly establish a bylaw mandating that all boaters wear life jackets on every voyage on the waterway.

She claimed that because most of the population had grown up near rivers and was capable of swimming, they considered investing in life jackets to be a costly waste of money.

She emphasized, however, that operators must always require that passengers wear them.

Task force

A task force on rivers and waterways used as means of transportation should be established to monitor and enforce the wearing of life jackets in order to prevent such disasters, according to Catherine Dela Dzivenu, a former NDC candidate for Ada’s parliamentary seat. She also visited the community to offer condolences to the victims.

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