The Member of Parliament for Ada in the Greater Accra Region, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe has asked the Ministry of Transport to consider making a budgetary allocation for the purchase of life jackets for coastal communities across the country.
This comes after five people were killed when their boat capsized on the Volta Lake around Ada over the weekend.
According to the lawmaker, the government must prioritize the lives of citizens in coastal areas while an investigation is conducted into the incident.
“Others argue that the canoe owner must get his own life jackets. I agree but there is what we call social intervention. The Minister of Transport fixes potholes, puts bitumen and asphalt on roads so when he does his budget, what does he do for those who live at the riverbanks? They are equally important as those who use the roads so can’t he allocate something small for them to get life jackets?”
Five people have been confirmed dead after a boat carrying mourners capsized on the Volta Lake Saturday morning.
The boat was conveying the mourners from Azizanya to Azizakpe when it capsized on the lake. Five people are reported to have died instantly while rescue efforts are underway to find other survivors.
The incident which occurred around 9 am on Saturday was allegedly caused by strong winds.
According to an eyewitness account, about 100 persons were crossing Azizakpe, an island community on a 40-seater passenger boat when the incident happened.
The five dead persons were three children below the age of three and two women. All passengers were without life jackets.