Volta Lake, created in 1965 by the Akosombo Dam, is the world’s largest artificial reservoir, stretching across six regions of Ghana, Oti, Volta, Eastern, Bono East, Savannah, and Northern and serving over 4 million people.
It powers most of the region’s passenger and cargo transport, supporting fishermen harvesting tilapia and farmers moving crops like yam and maize to markets in Tamale and Accra.
For isolated communities like Bovime in the Oti Region, the lake is a vital link to schools, healthcare, and cultural traditions, such as funerals, which hold deep meaning in Ewe and Konkomba communities for strengthening family ties.
Yet, the lake has a grim history, with repeated boat accidents claiming numerous lives due to overloaded vessels, missing lifejackets, untrained operators, and weak oversight.
The story about the Kete Krachi boat capsizing on October 11, 2025, claiming 15 lives, including 11 children aged 2 to 14 and four adults is a stark reminder of these dangers. The wooden canoe, meant for 15 passengers, carried over 20 mourners returning from a funeral in Okuma to Bovime, a short trip across Oti’s waters. Operated by an untrained fisherman, the boat lacked lifejackets and had a damaged hull. Strong winds and currents, worsened by recent dam spills, caused it to overturn in deep waters. Only four adults survived, treated for injuries and trauma at nearby hospitals. Survivors shared heart-wrenching accounts of children clinging to parents, helpless without safety gear as currents swept them away, sparking widespread grief and calls for change.
The Center for International Maritime Affairs, Ghana (CIMAG), stands in deep solidarity with Bovime’s families, offering heartfelt condolences for the lives lost, especially the children whose futures were cut short. We share their sorrow and pledge to honor the victims through advocacy, relief, and practical reforms to prevent such tragedies.
While the Ghana Maritime Authority responded quickly with inspections and an investigation, gaps in funding, patrols, and rescue efforts persist, leaving communities like Bovime vulnerable. Families received no immediate counseling, relying instead on local churches and chiefs, highlighting the need for better support systems.
This piece examines the Kete Krachi incident, its root causes, and a clear plan for reform. It connects the tragedy to Volta Lake’s history of accidents, like those in Chinekope, Afram Plains, and Senchi, which show recurring issues of overloading and neglect, especially for children. Drawing on successful safety improvements elsewhere, CIMAG proposes practical solutions to make Volta Lake safe for its millions of users.
A Detailed Account of The Kete Krachi Incident
On October 11, 2025, in Oti Region, where few communities have paved roads, a wooden canoe capsized on Volta Lake, killing 15 people. Mourners from Bovime, a small fishing village, had travelled to Okuma for a funeral, a cherished tradition in Ewe and Konkomba culture that brings families together. The group included children and adults, mostly fishers and farmers facing economic hardship, relying on affordable but risky boats due to limited options. By noon, the mourners boarded a canoe built for a small number of passengers but packed with over 20, throwing off its balance. The vessel, made of low-grade wood common across Volta Lake, had visible cracks. The operator, an untrained fisherman, lacked proper skills and carried no lifejackets or safety equipment, a widespread issue. Winds and strong currents, intensified by dam spills, destabilised the boat. Unprepared and without a safety plan, the operator could not respond as the canoe overturned in deep waters around 1:30 PM.
Survivors described a desperate scene: children grasping for parents or seats, with no lifejackets to keep them afloat. Local fishers quickly recovered four adults clinging to debris, but 15 others, including 11 children, were lost. By evening, all bodies were found, and autopsies confirmed drowning, with some children showing injuries from debris. Survivors, treated for trauma and injuries, face lasting emotional scars, with no counselling available in Bovime, where families turned to church prayers for comfort.
The Ghana Maritime Authority acted swiftly, launching inspections and an investigation, but limited resources and delayed rescues by untrained fishers highlight ongoing challenges. CIMAG is supporting the investigation with technical expertise and survivor interviews, ensuring transparency for Bovime’s families, who mourn loved ones like a mother’s young daughter.
A Focused Analysis On Root Causes
The Kete Krachi tragedy stemmed from preventable failures. Overloading, with far too many passengers, made the canoe unstable, a problem in most Volta Lake accidents. Poverty in the Oti Region pushes families to use cheap, unsafe boats for essential trips like funerals or school. The lack of lifejackets left passengers, especially children, defenceless against strong currents.
The untrained operator, one of many without proper skills, could not manage the crisis or navigate safely, relying on local knowledge instead of formal training.
Harsh weather, worsened by dam spills, and underwater hazards like tree stumps added to the risk. Weak oversight, with limited patrols and funding, allows unsafe boats to operate unchecked. Wooden canoes, prone to damage, are common, and repairs are often unaffordable for operators.
Cultural traditions, like large funeral gatherings and school commutes, heighten risks, especially for children. Other regions, like Lake Victoria, have reduced accidents through better safety measures, offering a model for Ghana.
Volta Lake’s history of accidents underscores the urgency of reform. The 2023 Chinekope capsizing killed students due to overloading and no lifejackets. The 2020 Afram Plains disaster claimed lives because of poor boat maintenance and hazards like stumps. The 2019 Senchi incident saw deaths in high winds, with no safety gear. These cases show persistent issues with overloading, fragile boats, and risks to children, with few recommended fixes put into place due to resource constraints.
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration Partnering for a Safer Volta Lake
The Kete Krachi tragedy reveals the critical need for a unified approach to maritime safety on Volta Lake, as fragmented efforts have failed to prevent recurring accidents. The Centre for International Maritime Affairs, Ghana (CIMAG), recognises that lasting reform demands collaboration with key stakeholders, including the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Ministry of Transport (MoT), Ghana Navy, and Oti Region chiefs. By leveraging NADMO’s disaster response expertise, GMA’s regulatory authority, MoT’s policy leadership, the Navy’s operational capabilities, and the chiefs’ community influence, CIMAG aims to build a coordinated safety framework.
With NADMO, experienced in coordinating responses to incidents like the 2023 Chinekope capsizing, CIMAG can strengthen emergency preparedness. Jointly, they can organise community drills at landing sites like Bovime, training fishers in rescue techniques and aligning NADMO’s protocols with CIMAG’s safety outreach. Sharing data on high-risk areas, NADMO can help CIMAG prioritise safety efforts, building on NADMO’s role in past recoveries, such as the 2020 Afram Plains disaster, to ensure faster, more effective responses and fewer fatalities.
CIMAG can partner with the GMA, which regulates inland waterways under the Ghana Shipping Act, to enhance enforcement against overloading and poor vessel maintenance, central to the Kete Krachi incident.
By combining CIMAG’s technical knowledge of boat stability with GMA’s inspection efforts, they can target unsafe operators at sites like Kete Krachi, ensuring compliance with lifejacket and load limit rules. This collaboration extends GMA’s recent enforcement actions, with CIMAG’s policy recommendations amplifying their reach for sustained impact.
The Ministry of Transport, guiding national transport policy, offers CIMAG a platform to shape a proposed safety bill. By co-hosting workshops to gather stakeholder input, CIMAG and MoT can advocate for operator training and vessel tracking, ensuring reforms reach communities like Bovime. This builds on MoT’s coordination in past investigations, fostering multi-agency efforts for consistent policy enforcement.
With the Ghana Navy, responsible for lake patrols and rescues, CIMAG can improve operational readiness. Joint training exercises can prepare operators for emergencies, teaching distress signalling while the Navy ensures rapid response, addressing delays seen in Kete Krachi. CIMAG’s safety expertise complements the Navy’s logistics, strengthening rescue operations across Volta Lake. Collaborating with Oti Region chiefs ensures community trust and cultural alignment. Chiefs, influential in traditions like funerals that drive overloading, can partner with CIMAG to promote safety messages during village gatherings, encouraging compliance with passenger limits. CIMAG can support chief-led initiatives to monitor landing sites, leveraging their authority to reinforce safety where formal oversight is limited.
Source: Albert Derrick Fiatui & Jacques Otumfuo