In-crisis communication course on maritime issues begins in Accra

Fourteen marine related security officials are receiving training in In-Crisis Communication at the Regional Maritime University in Accra.

The two-week course which has brought together participants from the West and Central of Africa seeks to prepare officials along the coastal belt of the Gulf of Guinea a wider international approach in addressing issues during crisis on sea and managing information flow.

The participants, mostly communicators in their respective countries and institutions, are being trained on how to communicate sensitive matters of national security to the press, family, internal audiences and other stakeholders.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on January 15, Commander Derrick Attachie, Head of Training at the Interregional Coordinating Centre (ICC) based in Yaoundé, Cameroun, asserted that, crimes such as piracy, armed robbery of ships, amongst other illicit maritime activities committed on sea are all transnational.

Hence a cooperative approach of countries along the Gulf of Guinea behind the ICC would ensure more sanity and security along the coastal belt of Africa, he averred.

He urged participants to bring on board their expertise and experiences in their fields of public relations for a successful training. He said, ´this training is to equip you control communication and crisis situations at your various institutions whenever unusual activities shows their ugly head´.

Participating in the communication course include officials from the Ghana Navy, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Maritime Authority, Gambia Maritime Administration, Gambia Ports Authority, and the Liberia Maritime Authority(LIMA).

Other officials from the Cameroun Military Intelligence Centre (MIC), Ministry of Transports (Maritime Affairs) of Cameroon, Liberia National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority, and the Sierra Leone Armed Forces-Maritime Wing, and Sierra Leone Maritime Administration are present.

The training is funded by the European Union (EU) and facilitated by trainers from the Expertise France and experts from the Gulf of Guinea Interregional Network (GOGIN).

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