Ghana has not recorded any incidents of piracy or armed robbery at sea since 2022, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said.
The excited Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces has, thus, commended the efforts of his men and women in uniform, who have worked to keep the sea safe.
“The fact remains that with the concerted efforts of the Ghana Navy and other key maritime stakeholders, Ghana has not recorded any piracy or armed robbery incidents at sea since 2022,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo was speaking at the launch of the National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS), an event that also opened the 3rd international maritime defence exhibition and conference.
He had earlier bemoaned the gloomy picture of events in the Gulf of Guinea, painted by some entities, although past efforts had brought “relative calm” to the waters in the region.
The President insisted that, the fact that some ship owners reported a few unverified petty theft incidents at the anchorages, could not be equated to piracy, in the context of international maritime law’s definition.
However, he urged that as much as maritime stakeholder organisations contribute towards international shipping, they should be mindful of the implications of inaccurate reporting on the nation’s ability to participate in global trade.
“I commend the excellent collaborative effort between the navies in the region, our international partners and stakeholders for the considerable reduction in maritime crimes, especially piracy.
I believe that maritime security agencies attending this program will engage the same spirit of collaboration in the conference deliberations to tackle the high cases of psycho and illegal unregulated fishing around reporter fishing in this region,” he remarked.
TECHNOLOGY
President Akufo-Addo, addressing the gathering of maritime players, mentioned that technology had become a vital tool in the quest to sustain and secure the maritime domain.
He raised the issue of technology as a tool to fight crime at sea, but was aware of the smartness of the perpetrators of the crimes at sea, who use sophisticated technology.
He argued that combating crimes at sea would require more innovative and advanced technology.
He added that maritime security stakeholders must take charge of this domain in order to deny access to terrorist groups drifting south-west from the Sahel regions towards the Gulf of Guinea.
“I must stress the need for a multifaceted technological approach to deny the authorized use of the underwater surface and above-water sources by criminals and economic saboteurs,” he stated.
COMMITMENT
He said the government recognizes the need for a well-resourced and technologically advanced Navy and is thus commencing the equipment of the Navy with drones, coastal radars, real-time surveillance, and tracking protocols in order to improve maritime domain awareness.
According to the President, the government was committed to acquiring some offshore patrol vessels, some to augment existing platforms, in order to improve its physical presence at sea.
After opening the conference, President Akufo-Addo participated in the exhibition, which had naval boats, drones and other maritime tools and equipment on display.
The Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, the National Security Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah and the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu also took turns to address the gathering.
