MOVE TO SAVE LIVES ON VOLTA LAKE (PAGE 18, SEPT 28, 2010)

ONE hundred and ten trainees have undergone a two-week intensive life saving training at the Eastern Naval Command to help save lives and property on the lake.
The training, a component of the Volta Lake Enhancement Project, focussed on basic life saving programmes such as boat work, survival drill, foot drill, life saving skills, voice communication and physical education.
The programme was put together by Zoil Services Limited, a subsidiary of waste management company Zoomlion, in collaboration with the Ministry of Transport, with support from the Ghana Navy, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Ministry of Tourism, among others.
The trainees, drawn from the Northern, Volta, Eastern, Brong Ahafo, Western and the Greater Accra regions were made up of 30 females and 81 males.
Addressing the passing out ceremony at Tema, the Deputy Transport Minister, Mrs Dzifa Attivor, said the deployment of life guards on the Volta Lake under the Volta Lake Transport Enhancement Project has significantly reduced incidents of boat disasters in the country .
According to Mrs Attivor, the commencement of the project has ensured absolute safety of inland watercourses.
She commended partner agencies and the Parliamentary select committee on youth and transport for ensuring a smooth realisation of the programme.
Mrs Attivor charged the graduates to ensure total commitment and prove themselves worthy of calling.
She noted that as a major stakeholder in the transport business, the Ministry considered human resource development as a key factor aimed at achieving government’s development goals, “hence our commitment to improve transportation on the lake to satisfactorily serve the communities towards the enhancement of their social, economic and cultural activities.”
The General Manager of Zoil Services, Mr Samuel Alex Opoku-Manu, noted that frequent boat disasters on inland watercourses necessitated the introduction of the programme with the objective to addressing such disasters.
He explained that the mechanism and structures had been developed to ensure constant patrolling on the lake, supervision and regulation of boat operators were also taken into account to ensure future disasters were prevented.
He said the programme, since its inception, had distributed 10,000 life jackets to regular commuters on the lake while the supply of an additional set of 2,600 was underway at various landing and boarding sites.
“And while we ensure that lives and property were protected, Zoil services has commissioned three speed boats procured for the purposes of patrolling and monitoring on the lake,” he added.
He announced the commitment of ZOIL Services towards the purchase of additional three speed boats and commended the government for making available resources that had effectively improved the programme.
He charged the graduates to deliver the responsibilities attached to the training and be committed and devoted to duty as their role was very crucial to their communities and the nation as a whole.
The Flag Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command, Commodore Albert Bentil Addison, earlier in his welcome address, observed that the successful rescue of people and a vehicle which fell over the ferry a week after graduation by the last batch justified the sustainability of the programme.
He challenged the implementation agencies of the programme to develop follow-up modules for assessment and subsequent evaluation. The Deputy Minister, Mrs Ativor, later presented the graduates with certificates.