Too Many Useless Workshops - Minister

The Deputy Minister of Roads and Transport has decried the increasing number of workshops and seminars in the Sub-Region, most of which did not yield any concrete results for the people.

"It is observed rather sadly that our Sub-Region has a character of organising impressive meetings and preparing beautiful reports with good recommendation which never get implemented," Mr Alex Sofo said at the opening of a Sub-Regional meeting on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Accra.

Mr Sofo noted that the agenda of such programmes were generally laudable and impressive but ended up not satisfying the purposes for which they were held, either for their communities or the sectors of the economy.

The Accra meeting is the third after similar ones in Lagos in 1998 and Accra last year. The meeting is discussing measures aimed at curbing piracy, armed robbery and other forms of unlawful acts against ships along the marine coastline of the Sub-Region.

It is also to provide an appropriate forum for stakeholders and member governments to formulate a framework for effective implementation of recommendations of the last Meeting held in Accra.

Mr Sofo said the objectives of the meetings such as the one currently underway in Accra were good and so there was the need for the meeting to discuss and make recommendations for harmonizing the security and maritime regulations of member states in the Sub-Region.