The Oti Regional Minister, John Kudzo Gyapong, has stated that he is not surprised by reports that the boat involved in the Kete Krachi accident was being operated by an 11-year-old boy.
The incident, which occurred around 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 11, 2025, claimed the lives of 16 people, including 11 children.
The small wooden boat, carrying about 24 passengers, was reportedly headed to a relative’s funeral at Bovime from Okuma, both in the Krachi West District of the Oti Region, when it capsized on the Volta Lake.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, October 13, 2025, Mr. Gyapong said he was not surprised that a child was controlling the boat, explaining that such situations are common in the area.
“I won’t be surprised if the person is 11 years that was handling the boat, because as soon as you get to the age of 9, you should be able to handle a boat.
So far as the fishermen are concerned, you should be able to handle a boat, you should be able to go fishing, you should be able to help your parents do anything that he does,” he said.
The Regional Minister also expressed concern over the refusal of many passengers to use life jackets despite ongoing education and enforcement efforts.
“As much as we educate people on the use of life jackets on the Volta Lake, whether you advise them or not, whether you educate them or not, whether you give them life jackets or not, unfortunately, they don’t use the life jacket. I haven’t seen any boat crossing or leaving an island where they put on life jackets.
We try to educate them; we arrest them. You ask them, and they will tell you the life jackets are heavy and they smell — that is the story they will tell you.
They will never want to use the life jacket. As much as you educate and fight to enforce the law that requires the use of life jackets on the Volta Lake, they find it difficult to wear them,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Masawudu Mubarick, has disclosed that a joint team of maritime inspectors and officers from the Ghana Navy has been deployed to Kete Krachi to assist the police and other agencies in their investigation.
Source: Citinewsroom
