By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo
Tema, March 07, GNA – The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) is introducing a life jacket rental system on inland waterways to improve passenger safety and reduce fatalities associated with boat accidents.
Dr Kamal-Deen Ali, Director-General of the GMA, said the initiative formed part of a broader Community Safety Project aimed at strengthening safety compliance among boat operators and passengers on inland water bodies.
Speaking during a media forum powered by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Dr Ali said that although water transport remained one of the safest modes of transportation, safety practices on some inland routes needed improvement.
He said the new system would allow passengers to rent life jackets at a small fee before boarding boats, explaining that the GMA decided on the rental approach after consultations with boat operators and local transport associations.
He said some operators were unable to purchase large quantities of life jackets due to cost and storage limitations, noting that in some cases boats could carry more than 100 passengers, making it difficult for operators to provide and store enough life jackets for every trip.
Under the proposed system, life jackets would be made available through local transport associations, which would manage their distribution and retrieval.
Passengers would pay a small fee, estimated between one and two Ghana cedis, to rent a life jacket for the duration of their journey.
Dr Ali said the associations would collect the jackets from passengers at the destination points for reuse, explaining that the rental fees collected would enable the associations to recover the initial investment within a few months and help expand the availability of life jackets to other communities.
He said the initiative formed part of broader measures to promote a safety culture among inland water users, adding that the Community Safety Project would also involve training community members and boat operators to support enforcement of safety regulations.
The GMA director-general said Ghana’s inland waterways, particularly the Volta Lake system, played a significant role in transportation for many communities.
He noted that expanding safe water transport services could also help reduce travel time between parts of the country and ease pressure on the road network.
Dr Ali urged boat operators and passengers to cooperate with the GMA in promoting safety on inland waterways.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei