Summary

From January to March 2024, SAI Ghana conducted a performance audit at the Head office of Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) in Accra, as well as in several other regions of the country, regarding the safety of inland water transport on the Volta Lake*. The audit coverage period is 2019-2023. The auditors found insufficient inspections of crafts by GMA which resulted in faulty outboard motors, violations in passenger transportation, lack of the load line markings, non-application of sanctions to fishing craft operators using their crafts to transport passengers. SAI made a number of recommendations to GMA to improve its activities to ensure water transport safety: - updating records to capture all operators and disseminate weather updates to them through the appropriate communication platforms; - intensifying monitoring activities of the fishing craft operators and applying appropriate sanctions, as well as amending guidelines to spell out how and when inspections should be carried out; - intensifying the educational activities regarding safety rules during transportation by water transport, especially on the use of life jackets by passengers in the inland water communities. _____________________________ * Lake Volta is the largest artificial reservoir in the world based on surface area.