In the Wa District of the Upper West Region, two persons have drowned in the Black Volta after a canoe they were occupying capsised.
The incident occurred on Sunday, July 20, 2025, when the two victims, together with four others, were returning from a funeral in neighbouring Burkina Faso. Reports indicate their canoe capsised midstream near Bankpama.
The four others who were also on the canoe were able to swim to safety while the remaining two were swept away by the strong currents. One body had been recovered by Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
Assembly Member for the Bankpama Electoral Area, John Nyord, confirmed in on Accra-based Channel One News that the victims had no life jackets at the time the incident occurred.
“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.”
The Assembly member’s comment reemphasise the disregard to wearing of life jackets on the river that has claimed several lives due to same recklessness.
The community has been appealing for some but accessibility is still limited, whilst plans by locals to raised funds to secure same have stalled. Appeals to the state for support have also yielded no results.
Meanwhile, search is ongoing by officials from NADMO and the Ghana Police Service to retrieve the body of the second victim. NADMO has since pledged to supply life jackets to canoe operators in the area.
