A six-year-old boy, Godfred Aboagye, in Kasoa Wallantu, has tragically lost his life after he drowned in an open water tank storage in a desperate effort to retrieve his football. The incident, which occurred on Monday, December 29, 2025, has left the Kasoa community in grief.

In a statement, the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) disclosed that a specialised rescue team was immediately dispatched to the scene after receiving a distress call at 5:03 p.m.

According to the statement, signed by Divisional Officer Grade II (DO II) Abdul Wasiu Hudu, the Central Regional PRO of the GNFS, the unfortunate incident could have been prevented if the open pits tank was covered.

“GNFS strongly cautions parents, guardians, and property owners to ensure that all water storage facilities, tanks, wells, and pits are securely covered, particularly in homes where children are present,” the statement read.

While Ghana has some drowning prevention initiatives, such as regional lifejacket policies, critical measures like water safety education in schools and community rescue training remain limited.

The lack of flood risk management strategies further exacerbates the issue. Globally, drowning remains a significant public health issue. The first-ever Global Status Report on Drowning Prevention by the World Health Organization (WHO) details progress made in addressing drowning fatalities worldwide.

The report notes that the global drowning death rate declined by 38 percent between 2000 and 2021. However, more than 300,000 fatalities were still recorded in 2021, underscoring the severity of the problem.

In June this year, some seven students from Lawra Senior High School (SHS) lost their lives after the boat they were travelling on capsized on the Black Volta River at Dikpe.

The unfortunate incident that claimed the lives of five girls and two boys occurred on Saturday, June 14, during a routine morning jogging exercise.Per reports, the group of 10, part of the school’s cadet corps, was attempting to cross in an overloaded boat.

Three other students were rescued and provided medical care as well as psychological support. According to reports, early morning jogging is a regular activity for the cadet team; however, the rationale behind the group’s attempt to cross the river remains unclear.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, the Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, has instructed that a meeting be convened and its findings reported to him. The Education Ministry has commiserated with the bereaved families as investigations continue.

“We share in the grief of the affected families and the entire school community. Our thoughts and prayers are with them in this extremely difficult time.

As the Ministry awaits a full report from the Ghana Police Service, we wish to assure Ghanaians that we will continue to do our best to ensure the safety and security of our students,” a statement signed by the Deputy Education Minister, Dr Clement Apaak, read.

This is not the first time lives, especially those of students, have been lost to drowning on the Black Volta.

In 2023, some eight students drowned in the Volta Lake in the Sene East District on their way to school. This prompted calls on the government to provide life jackets to pupils and staff in island communities who commute by water.

Eduwatch Africa called on the Ghana Education Service and other relevant stakeholders to roll out measures to avert such disasters in the future.

“In the immediate term, we urge the Ghana Education Service (GES) to facilitate the availability of life jackets to all school children and staff who sail to and from school, not only in the Sene East District, but all other ‘island and settler communities’ where children and staff commute by water transport to school.

"The GES should, in collaboration with the relevant state agencies, facilitate health and safety orientation sessions for all its pupils and staff in island communities,” portions of the group’s statement read.

The Ghana Education Service (GES) donated 100 life jackets and learning materials to the Atigagorme and Wayokope communities in the Sene East District.

Then Director-General of GES, Dr Eric Nkansah, said the donation was an interim safety and security measure for school children. Appearing before Parliament on Wednesday, July 2, the Minister responsible for Interior, Honourable Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, revealed a number of measures the government and its agencies will put in place to check the rate of drowning incidents involving students and others in rural areas.

This follows the recent boat incident along the Black Volta Basin that claimed the lives of seven students of Lawra Senior High School (SHS) on June 14.

The sector minister noted that there will be regular sensitisation of canoe owners and operators, as well as residents along the Black Volta Basin, and sensitisation of students and identifiable bodies on maritime safety.

He added that the Ghana Maritime Authority will provide life jackets to canoe operators along the river, conduct regular monitoring of canoe operators to ensure safety on the river, and ensure all canoes are regularly maintained.