Two people have been confirmed dead after a canoe capsized on the Black Volta in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region.
The unfortunate incident occurred on Sunday, July 20, 2025, when a group of six individuals were returning from a funeral in neighbouring Burkina Faso.
While four passengers managed to make it to shore, two were tragically swept away by the powerful currents.
As of Tuesday, July 22, only one body had been recovered.
Mr. Nyord John, the Assembly Member for the Bankpama Electoral Area, revealed that the victims were not wearing life jackets, citing a critical failure to enforce essential river safety measures on one of Ghana’s most perilous waterways.
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“This isn’t the first time we’ve lost lives on this stretch of the river,” he said. “And each time, the lack of life jackets is the main factor,” he said in an interview monitored by The Ghana Report on Channel One News.
He added that despite ongoing incidents and community calls for action, access to safety equipment is still severely limited. Local efforts to fundraise for life jackets have come to a standstill, and pleas for government support have not been answered.
Meanwhile, officials from NADMO and the Ghana Police Service have visited the site and are assisting in the search for the second victim.
NADMO has also assured us of providing life jackets to canoe operators in the region.
