Formulate long term policies to harness potential of port, maritime industry – Expert advises

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Shipping, Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Mbiah has urged Ghana to adopt long term structures that would harness the full potential of Ghana’s maritime industry.

He opined that, with the shipping industry being undoubtedly the driving force of many economies, it is imperative for the government and institutions alike to formulate policies that would position Ghana’s shipping industry to serve Ghana’s economy for decades.

The CEO of Ghana Chamber of Shipping, said, for a successful and sustainable industry, there is a need for a comprehensive framework that would ensure a seamless network and efficiency among all institutions and organs of the trade and transport industry to be created, instead of policies that are reactions to short term challenges.

“When you have a cluster approach, in which you can have synergies, one from the other, the advantages that exist can be derived from one then wrap on the others as well,” he said.

He charged the Government of Ghana to prioritize creating an enabling environment for the maritime industry to thrive as that would inure to the country’s benefit for years because the maritime industry is a lucrative one.

“How we position the shipping industry in the scheme of things, in terms of prioritization we might not have money to deal with everything but when we give attention to that which deserves our utmost attention, it will have a trickledown effect that would consequently touch upon the other areas,” he said.

Dr. Mbiah added that when Government makes the initiative to create an enabling environment, the maritime landscape of Ghana would look opportune for private companies to invest in.

“There is business to be made here. If we look at Tema and Takoradi (Ports), we can have marine parks, we can have mariners, we can have boat building so there is so much,” he hinted.

Emmanuel Kofi Mbiah urged the Ghana government to follow the blueprints of some developed nations who transformed at the back of an efficient port industry by allocating resources to the sector.

He suggested that, a revitalized rail sector is inevitable for a successful maritime trade asking that plans be expedited to expand and modernize Ghana’s railways.

Dr. Mbiah added that the future for Ghana’s maritime fortunes is dependent on the success of the export sector saying “it would generate revenue for the state for development, and cut the cost of doing business drastically, because we would not rely solely on import.”

He asked that, Government should put in measures that would revitalize the export trade.