The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called on government to take immediate and decisive steps to enhance safety on Ghana’s inland waterways following the tragic boat accident on the Volta Lake near Kete Krachi, which claimed 15 lives on Saturday, Octobe

The Minority Caucus in Parliament has called on government to take immediate and decisive steps to enhance safety on Ghana’s inland waterways following the tragic boat accident on the Volta Lake near Kete Krachi, which claimed 15 lives on Saturday, October 11, 2025.

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MINORITY CAUCUS
PARLIAMENT OF GHANA
Parliament House – Accra (Ghana)


20
th
October, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MINORITY CAUCUS DEMANDS URGENT ACTION ON INLAND WATER
TRANSPORT SAFETY
Our attention has been drawn to the recent fatal boat accident that occurred on the Volta Lake near
Kete Krachi on Saturday, 11
th
October 2025, resulting in the loss of 15 lives. We extend our deepest
condolences to the families affected by this devastating loss.
The recurring tragedies on the Volta Lake demands the government’s immediate and conclusive
action to protect public safety.
The Caucus recalls that in 2020, the NPP government secured a significant commitment of USD
150 million from the Korean Exim bank specifically to finance the installation of modern inland
water transport equipment and floating pontoons required to revamp the Volta Lake Transport
Limited. This project is designed to transform the Volta Lake into a safe and efficient means for
transporting people and cargo.
A comprehensive feasibility study has already been completed by Vision Consult, a Ghanaian firm
and this demonstrates the deep technical capacity of our indigenous engineers. The study has
already laid the groundwork, identifying precisely what infrastructure is needed and
recommending how best to deploy it. This will enable the Volta Lake to function as a proper inland
waterway, fitting seamlessly into the broader plan for a nationwide multimodal transport system.
We therefore demand that the current government treats this as a matter of national priority and
urgently follow up to ensure these funds are disbursed for the immediate execution of this vital
project. Any further delays would represent a profound failure on the government’s duty to
safeguard about two million Ghanaians who rely on the Volta Lake for their daily lives.
Furthermore, the Minority Caucus insists that the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) must
immediately step up its mandate to regulate inland water transport on the Volta Lake and other
navigational routes in the Afram Plains. This must include the strict registration of all pontoons
and vessels, and the rigorous enforcement of loading regulations to eliminate the practice of
overloading.

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The Volta Lake is a critical national asset, and we owe it to the memories of those we have lost,
and to the about two million Ghanaians who continue to use the lake in their daily lives to take
these urgent steps to ensure inland water transport safety for the Ghanaian people.
-End-
Signed
HON KENNEDY NYARKO OSEI
RANKING MEMBER, COMMITTEE ON ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION