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A total of 500 trained lifeguards over the weekend, passed out at the Eastern Naval Base in Tema New Town, in the Greater Accra Region.

The trained lifeguards, drawn from about nine regions in the country, comprised of both males and females.

They are expected to be deployed to save lives on Ghana's water bodies across the country.

Speaking at the passing out ceremony, Mr. Kwaku Ofori Asiama, Minister of Transport, congratulated the trainees and urged them to use their acquired skills to save lives on the Volta Lake and other water bodies.

He said as part of the project, the government would provide free life jackets to commuters on the Volta Lake and help educate residents along the lake.

"This project will also provide jobs to the youth in the coastal areas," he said.

The Basic Water Safety and Life Guard Training Course was made possible as a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) between the Ministry of Transport and Ecozoil, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies (JGC) and fell under the Volta Lake Transport Safety Project (VLTSP).

The course was undertaken in two parts with the first part commencing on February 11, this year, which lasted for six weeks.

The Executive Chairman, JGC, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, in a short address, urged the lifeguards to do their best to make water transport safer in the country.

He announced that his outfit will provide three-speed boats to the Ghana Navy to help support the security agency in its naval operations.

The VLTSP, he explained, had become necessary because of the challenges bedeviling transportation on the Volta Lake and other water bodies in the country.

"Transportation on the Volta Lake is plagued with challenges including lack of life jackets for commuters, overloading on boats, and lack of safety education on the lake," he bemoaned.

He said the project would provide employment for the youth from communities along the Volta Lake and equip them with basic skills in water survival and rescue operations to ensure safety of commuters on the lake.

"In addition, it helps to maintain cleanliness at the various landing sites, provide safety education to both boat operators and commuters, provide life jackets to commuters to protect them on the lake," he added.

Dr Siaw Agyepong disclosed that the project covers 40 municipal district assemblies (MDAs).

He, therefore, thanked the Transport Minister for the confidence he reposed in his company which resulted in the renewal of the project.

"I also want to thank the Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Isaah Yakubu, the Flight Officer Commanding the Eastern Naval Command Commodore Emmanuel Ayensu Kwafio, for the training of the lifeguards.

"To the Ecozoil team, let's work hard to ensure that the project achieves its objectives so it can become a model for other countries in the world to emulate," he charged the trainees.