Parliament has summoned the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mubarak, and the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, to answer questions on the lack of life jackets in communities that commute by water.

This comes after 7 students of Lawra Senior High School Saturday, June 14 drowned in the Black Volta River near Dikpe after their canoe capsized during a routine cadet jogging exercise.

Their scheduled appearance next week was initially suggested by the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, and later endorsed by the Second Deputy Speaker, Andrew Asiamah Amoako, who formally described the unfortunate incident as a critical case that needs to be addressed swiftly to prevent further loss of life.

“If we can look at the budget of the Interior Ministry so that a certain portion of their budget will be allocated to take care of this emergency. It is very critical,” he said.

Given the relevance of the Volta River to the incident, the Energy Minister’s inclusion is to allow discussions surrounding communities along the Volta River.

Meanwhile, the Member of Parliament for Lawra, Bede Ziedeng, called on the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Regional Coordinating Council, and the Lawra Municipal Assembly to urgently supply life jackets to communities along the Black Volta.

“I appeal to NADMO, the Regional Coordinating Council and the Lawra Municipal Assembly to come to the aide of Lawra SHS and the bereaved families,” he added.

Ziedeng also pledged to donate ten life jackets to the affected communities and urged Parliament to take immediate legislative action to prevent further tragedies.

Per reports, the group of 10 part of the school’s cadet corps were attempting to cross into Burkina Faso in an overloaded boat.

As of Saturday afternoon, the bodies of four deceased students—two males and two females were retrieved by the rescue team.

By evening, the bodies of three students believed to have been missing were found, pushing the death toll to 7.

Three other students were rescued and provided medical care as well as pyschological 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.

Ghana Education Service (GES) officials the Lawra Municipal Assembly, and the Municipal Security Council are said to have visited the scene and are coordinating ongoing recovery efforts.

Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES) Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, is set to convene an urgent meeting with the Regional and District Directors of Education and the Headmaster of Lawra Senior High School following the death of seven students.

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.