President launches National Integrated Maritime Strategy

The National Integrated Maritime Strategy which seeks to map out workable solutions to the industry's problems, has been launched.

Another goal of the strategy is a strong blue economy that not only creates a substantial portion of national income but also raises people's standards of living.

It was launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during the opening of the third International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference (IMDEC) 2023 held at Burma Camp in Accra.

The six-point strategy includes strengthening the framework for maritime governance, the safety, and security of Ghana's maritime domain, development of a thriving blue economy, protection of the marine and coastal environment, promotion of capacity-building, research, awareness, and knowledge-sharing in the maritime domain and the development of a dynamic and diversified regional and international cooperation.

Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah said the unified efforts of government, industry, civil society groups, and academia in bringing to life this strategy demonstrates a collective determination to propel Ghana’s maritime sector to new heights.

He said, “The Ministries of Transport and National Security commends the development of the National Integrated Maritime Strategy with an overreaching goal of contributing to the growth of Ghana's blue economy, Working through various technical committees, NIMS has been carefully crafted through collaborative effort, drawing up the expertise of various stakeholders including government agencies, industry leaders and civil society organizations."

President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo doubled up on calls for maritime agencies to leverage technology for the development of the sector.

“I believe the maritime security agencies attending this program would engage the same spirit of collaboration in the conference deliberations to tackle the high cases of SAIKO and illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing in this region. It is important to indicate that IUU fishing for instance is linked to piracy, human trafficking, and illicit drug and weapon smuggling. I thus urge the maritime law enforcers to consider using technology to break the vital link between these crimes and criminal syndicates."

He expressed worry over inaccurate reportage damaging Ghana’s reputation so far as maritime security is concerned.

“The fact that some ship owners reported a few unverified petty theft incidents at anchorages could not be equated to piracy in the context of international maritime law definition. As much as maritime rating stakeholder organizations contribute towards international shipping, they should be mindful of the implications of inaccurate reportage on the nation’s ability to participate in global trade."