EDITORIAL: Yet another deadly voyage

Could it be desperation, hopelessness or plain adventure? Two Ghanaians found dead in two unrelated stowaways attempts in just three weeks this February. Though one of these stowaways survived in both cases, the closeness of these incidents however raise more questions.

The most recent deadly voyage happened on Saturday, February 28. A man of about 19 years was retrieved from the ?delicate? compartment of a Ghana Airways flight scheduled to take off to JFK Airport in New York, USA after a fire outbreak just before take-off.

And on February 6, the British police lifted a 14-year-old Ghanaian boy from the belly of a marine vessel, Cedelta, at the northeastern port city of Hull. The boy survived the deadly voyage but not his two other companions whose decomposing bodies were found on the bed of the vessel.

So, what could be driving these young people, who should indeed be in school, to so risk their lives to embark on such deadly voyages?

It is unclear just yet but one couldn?t be too far from right to say that the deepening levels of poverty, joblessness and social disconnection is driving more and more young people into thinking that they wouldn?t make it in life if they stayed in the country.

Take a trip to foreign embassies and High Commissions in the country and you would be shocked by the throngs of people wanting visas to travel abroad. Just over a year ago in December 2002, two young Ghanaians aged between 12 and 14 were found dead in the undercarriage of another Ghana Airways flight, then to London.

One couldn?t disconnect the connivance of ground officials of our airports in stowaway incidents at the country?s only international airport. Ghana Airways officials said they are investigating how the 19-year-old boy sneaked into GH Flight 150 if there was some sort of connivance with some ground workers. More seriously, the boy on GH Flight 150 was found under the plane only after a fire outbreak moments before take-off.

An initial suggestion by airport officials that the boy may have sneaked under the plane while it was parked in the hangar is most unconvincing.

Could there be that these stowaways especially at KIA have collaborators at the airport? While we await report of investigations into the latest incident, Public Agenda believes that it is most dangerous for the airport and passengers if unauthorized persons can beat security checks.

The timing couldn?t be worse for Ghana Airways: The national airline, as a company, is on its knees. Forced on the back foot by incompetence, bad management, fraud and undue political interferences in its activities, Ghana Airways accounts are in red. This is worsened by consistent seizure of its planes for breach of contract, too many cancellations of flights, aside delays and law suits from all quarters of the aviation industry and clients.

Time to stop the stowaway menace is now, not least to ensure the security of genuine travelers. The surest way to nip it in the bud is to improve the economic situation of ordinary Ghanaians and tighten security around and in our ports and of course hold officials responsible for any lapses.