The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has launched Ghana’s National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS).
He launched the document on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, at the opening of the 3rd International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference, which ends today.
The executive summary of the document says that the NIMS has been developed by a multi-agency Ghanaian team at a crucial moment in the history of the country when the oceans were faced with a convoluted set of maritime threats, as well as increasingly complex conservation and management concerns.
This strategy is intended to chart viable courses of action towards addressing these issues to ensure that Ghana’s maritime domain is globally considered safe and secure, with strong blue economy sectors that, not only generate a substantial national income, but also ultimately improves the living standards of our people.
The NIMS is guided by seven core principles – national ownership, social inclusion and impact, synergy, accountability, partnerships and cooperation, technology, and innovation and sustainability.
Each of these principles is ingrained in the provisions mapped out in this document, making the NIMS a living strategy – one that takes into account current and future maritime threats and opportunities to advance Ghana through a sustainable and prosperous ocean economy for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
OBJECTIVES
The NIMS has been developed with six strategic objectives in mind for the country: strengthen the framework for maritime governance; ensure the safety and security of Ghana’s maritime domain; develop a thriving blue economy; protect our marine and coastal environment; promote capacity-building, research, awareness, and knowledge-sharing in the maritime domain; and develop dynamic and diversified regional and international cooperation.
“These strategic objectives are backed by recommended priority actions—specific goals that must be met to ensure that we attain the broad vision of the NIMS. This strategy, supported by its implementation plans, will be executed by a National Maritime Council, chaired by the Vice
President of the Republic of Ghana,” the Executive Summary reads.
INFORMATION
Ghana is a maritime nation; with a 540km coastline, an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), and an extended continental shelf, the country encompasses a vast maritime space with huge potential to generate national revenue.
The country’s untapped hydrocarbon potential, fisheries resources, and strategic location of its coast along important international shipping lanes provide a sea of opportunities for ensuring food security, bridging income gaps, raising foreign investment, increasing national output, and creating favourable terms of trade.
However, experts say that the maritime estate, if not properly managed, can also be a source of threats that undermine sovereignty, national security, and development.
