By Godwill Arthur- Mensah
Accra, June 18, GNA – Legislators in Ghana’s Parliament have made a strong case for government to procure about 10,000 life jackets for communities along the Black Volta River in the Upper West Region following the drowning of seven Lawra SHS students on Saturday.
The lawmakers argued that most of the residents along the Black Volta River used canoes as a means of transport to their farms and that they needed life jackets to ensure their safety and security.
The members of Parliament (MPs) made the call when contributing to a statement made on the floor of Parliament by Mr Bede Ziedeng, the MP for Lawra, on Tuesday, June 17, following the drowning of seven Lawra SHS students.
The Lawra lawmaker, while delivering the statement, said he had personally procured 10 life jackets to assist the residents living along the Black Volta River to aid them to cross safely during daily routine activities.
He, however, appealed to the government to construct a bridge along the river for the safety and security of the residents.
The Lawra legislator described the tragic incident as “Black Saturday” in the lives of the residents of Lawra Municipality and the entire region.
“This is a wake up call for us to act now to avert future occurrence,” underscoring the need for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to urgently procure life jackets for communities along the river.
The lawmaker also urged NADMO to intensify public education on wearing of life jackets before crossing the river.
Mr Ziedeng entreated all students to avoid any behaviour that could endanger their lives.
The legislator expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and management of Lawra SHS.
The MPs observed a minute silence in honour of the seven Lawra Senior High School students who got drowned in the Black Volta, near Dikpe community in the Upper West Region on Saturday, June 14, 2025.
The deceased were part of a group of 16 students from Lawra SHS cadet corps, who were on a routine morning jogging exercise, but 10 of them decided to cross the river on a boat to the Burkina Faso side of the river.
Unfortunately, upon getting to the middle of the river, water swamped into the boat and in the process it capsized, leading to the drowning of seven out of the 10 students onboard.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak is scheduled to appear before Parliament next week to answer questions on measures government is putting in place to procure life jackets for residents along the Black Volta River.
GNA
Edited by Christian Akorlie