Commuters and boat owners have hailed the government's tree stump removal program, which they say has improved transportation safety on the Oti River.

The dangerous tree stumps made transportation across the region a hazardous endeavour, as several lives were lost.

The  Ghana Maritime Authority initiated a program in 2020 to clear all tree stumps in the River, which is the only source of transportation for residents in the Oti, Northern and the Volta regions.

Travelling on small boats on the Oti River is considered one of the high-risk adventures.

Small boats and canoes are often overloaded with passengers with no live jackets as riders meander through waters filled with several tree stumps.

US-based philanthropist Fred Osei-Yeboah runs several projects in the Kpandai District of the Northern region.

His activities require him to cross the Oti River with either ferry or canoe.

Mr Osei-Yeboah’s NGO, Soles of Hope, provided hope to residents in the Northern region with water education infrastructure, among others.

“Who is reading the safety instructions? Where are the live jackets? There’s none on here. Even the ferry doesn’t have a live jacket, let alone the canoe,” he said of the safety of small canoe and passenger boats on the Oti River.

He prefers to travel with his team on the ferry run by the Ghana Maritime Authority than on canoes.

“So for our safety, we prefer travelling on the ferry than on the canoe,” he said whilst travelling on the Oti River.

Boat disasters and deaths until now used to be a common occurrence for residents in the Oti, Northern and Volta regions as the Oti River became the only means of transportation.

Tree stumps lodged in the River are the bane of travellers on boats and canoes.

In November last year, seven St. Charles Liwanga Junior High School students in the Saboba District of the Northern Region died after one of the two canoes they were cruising in capsized in the Oti River.

The students had gone with the headteacher of the school to harvest rice.

It has since led to the prosecution of the headteacher.

Also, the body of a child was retrieved by rescuers from the Oti River following a boat accident in the Krachi West District in 2020.

Commuters and boat owners say stories like these and many others were common until the government introduced the tree stump removal program.

Chezki Akwasi is a boat owner and the chairman of the local boat owners association in Dambai.

“We have not experienced any boat accident in this area ever since they removed the stumps. It has benefitted us a lot. We used to close at 6 pm. Travelling on the River in the night was a dangerous adventure because of the tree stumps,” he recalled.

“You cannot detect the stumps when you travel in the night. Now that the stumps have been removed, we no longer close early; we sometimes close at midnight.” He added.

Chezki owns many canoes under A1 Boats. He says the tree stump removing program has reduced boat accidents on the River as safety transportation is assured for operators and the travelling public.

He wants the exercise extended to Kabiti, Yikhey, Gbetzu.

“We used to close at 6 pm before the exercise. On the contrary, we now work beyond  6 pm till midnight. We sometimes get calls from commuters from Accra, Worawora, Krachie, asking us to wait for them deep in the night. The majority of our commuters prefer to travel in the night on the River now.”

“I would be lying if I tell you the tree stump removing exercise has not been beneficial. They should extend it to Kabiti, Gbi Zongo, Ekay  and Kpachu.”

Some patrons, including a prison officer, have hailed the exercise.

“As for removing the tree stumps, it has helped a lot. Formerly accidents on this lake were frequent, especially concerning the boats, but after removing the tree stump, if it’s not about a rainstorm, you don’t normally hear of boat capsize,” ASP Michael Odoe of Kete Krachie Prisons revealed.

“Now the safety is better,” he added.

Whilst commending the government for the gesture, there is an appeal to President Akufo-Addo to fulfil a promise to build a bridge on the Oti River. 

“Last year December, President His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, promised the people of Oti region that he is going to construct a bridge on it, and we have not even seen any kind of development going on.”