Two people have drowned in the Black Volta River following yet another avoidable canoe accident in the Wa West District of the Upper West Region.
The victims were part of a group of six returning from a funeral in neighbouring Burkina Faso on Sunday, July 20, when their canoe capsized midstream near Bankpama. While four of the passengers managed to swim to safety, two others were swept away by the strong currents.
By Tuesday, July 22, only one body had been recovered.
Assembly Member for the Bankpama Electoral Area, Mr. Nyord John, confirmed to Channel One News that the victims were not wearing life jackets—once again exposing the persistent failure to enforce basic river safety measures on one of Ghana’s most dangerous waterways.
“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.”
Despite repeated incidents and community appeals, access to safety gear remains limited. Plans by locals to raise funds for life jackets have stalled, and calls for government intervention have largely gone unanswered.
Officials from NADMO and the Ghana Police Service visited the scene and are supporting the search for the second victim. NADMO has since pledged to supply life jackets to canoe operators in the area.
The Black Volta continues to serve as a critical cross-border route for residents of Wa West, but the absence of regulated transport and consistent enforcement of safety protocols has turned it into a recurring death trap.
Until action matches the repeated promises, local residents remain at the mercy of the
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