Dr. Davidson Nana Yaw Akwada, Executive Director of the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS)
Executive Director of the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS), Dr Davidson Nana Yaw Akwada, has issued a stern warning in the aftermath of the August 6th Z-9 helicopter crash that claimed the lives of eight senior officials.
Dr Akwada says Ghana’s transport systems are plagued by “deep and unresolved safety flaws” that demand urgent, comprehensive reform.
Dr. Akwada articulated a “worrying theme repeating itself” across air, rail, and road networks.
He contends that each incident, while possessing its own narrative, collectively reveals a pattern rooted in weak infrastructure, human lapses, and regulatory oversight that has failed to keep pace with escalating risks.
“The 6th August helicopter crash drives that point home,” Dr. Akwada told MyJoyOnline.
He emphasised that VIP and special mission flights inherently carry significant hazards, and in a system where safety supervision is thin and accident investigations are still developing, “the margin for error is unforgiving.”
While acknowledging the national grief, he stressed that “grief alone is not enough. It should trigger a hard look at the rules we follow, the way we maintain our fleets, and the decisions made before take-off.”
The BPS’s own data from 2017 to 2024 paints a sobering picture of over 90% of transport-related deaths in Ghana occurring on its roads.
A closer analysis reveals that the most severe road crashes frequently happen at night (between 10 PM and 6 AM), often involving long-distance buses on substandard roads.
Driver fatigue, speeding, and overloading are consistently identified as primary culprits.
The rail sector, though showing a dip in accidents, offers no genuine improvement in safety, according to Dr. Akwada.
This decline is largely attributed to a “barely functioning” rail network, implying that its dangers remain, albeit latent.
Aviation, historically with fewer mishaps, now faces a critical test. Dr. Akwada highlighted that until 2020, Ghana lacked a fully independent Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) compliant with international standards (ICAO Annex 13).
The decision for the Ghana Armed Forces to lead the investigation into the recent helicopter crash, rather than an independent body, is a point of “strong exception” for the BPS, raising concerns about transparency and unbiased learning.
The Way Forward: A Multi-Faceted Approach
Dr. Akwada firmly believes that preventing future tragedies requires an “all-hands-on-deck,” multi-agency, and multi-faceted approach. He outlined several crucial areas for intervention:
• Investigations that dig deep, and findings that see daylight
• Fully fund and protect the independence of accident investigation bodies for air, rail, and road.
• Publish every investigation in full for civil aviation incidents or redacted for security sector incidents — noting that the lessons aren’t just for the experts; they’re for everyone who travels or operates in the system.
• Infrastructure that meets the moment
• Modernize rail tracks, crossings, and signals before the next accident forces our hand.
• Redesign dangerous road corridors — Kintampo-Techiman, Accra-Kumasi — with dual carriageways, accelerating lanes, rumble strips, and clear signage.
• Operators who are trained — and retrained
• Make recurrent training for pilots, drivers, and engineers non-negotiable, with a focus on fatigue, hazard spotting, and real-world scenarios.
• Tie operator license renewals to actual safety records, not just paperwork.
• Rules that are enforced, not ignored
• Impose real penalties for overloading, speeding, violating duty/rest time limits or skimping on maintenance.
• Carry out mandatory safety audits for transport companies — and ground those that fail.
• Emergency care that buys time
• Build out regional emergency response so the “golden hour” isn’t just a medical ideal but a reality.
• Equip rural hospitals to handle mass-casualty events without delay.
Dr. Akwada’s ultimate message is stark.
“Every crash is a moment of grief, but it’s also a chance to make sure the same thing never happens again. When we stop at condolences and skip the uncomfortable work of public investigations and reform, we guarantee the same headlines will return—and they’ll read just as painfully.”
The path to a safer Ghana, he concludes, lies in decisive, systemic action, not just sorrow.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
