The commitment of government to retooling the Ghana Navy and the Ghana Armed Forces in general has been amply demonstrated, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated.
Since coming to office in January 2017, President Akufo-Addo said his government had acquired and commissioned some 20 vessels for the Ghana Navy, and the process for acquiring two off-shore patrol vessels for the Navy are also far advanced.
A major project to build a new naval base in the Western region of Ghana, the President added, is also at its completion stage.
These investments, the President stressed, would help safeguard the security of the country’s maritime space and lead to accelerated growth of the country’s blue economy.
Speaking at the 2024 African Maritime Forces Summit / Naval Infantry Leaders Symposium – Africa (NILSA), in Accra Tuesday, President Akufo-Addo said other African countries had also shown similar commitments and collaborations with our key partners which had ensured significant improvements in the security of Africa’s maritime domain.
Managing maritime security is a challenging and an endeavour the President indicated, and the only way for its sustainability is the continuous cooperation and collaboration amongst a broad spectrum of global maritime stakeholders.
“No nation can afford to do it alone,” he stated at the gathering.
Ghana, being aware of its responsibilities as a coast host state, the Ghanaian President maintained would continue to play her part in collaborating with international maritime communities towards enhancing maritime security in the region and on the entire Africa continent.
U.S. Naval Forces Africa, U.S. Marine Forces Africa, and the Ghanaian Navy are currently meeting in Accra to tri-chair the African Maritime Forces Summit / Naval Infantry Leaders Symposium – Africa (NILSA),which started on 29th April and would end on 2 May 2024.
This historic conference has brought together service chiefs and senior leaders of allied and partner nation Maritime Forces and militaries from over 40 countries to discuss aspects of naval capabilities such as promoting shared awareness, interoperability, and crisis response capabilities, shared security objectives, and capacity building to improve Africa’s maritime domain security.
This event is the largest maritime security-focused conference in Africa. It is a high-level forum to address maritime security challenges common within the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean to identify, share and implement solutions.
Addressing participants at the event on theme: “Cooperation at Sea; Safeguarding African Maritime Security” President Akufo-Addo said Ghana acknowledges the crucial need of maritime security for the prosperity and stability of the country and the African continent.
He said Africa’s vast coastline and maritime resources holds immerse potential for economic development and growth. However, this potential he explained is constantly being threatened by various maritime security challenges including piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling and maritime terrorism.
These threats, he mentioned, do not only jeopardise Ghana’s economic interests, but also undermines the safety and well being of its citizens and that of the African continent.
President Akufo-Addo said it is public knowledge, that the global maritime space, particularly with the Gulf of Guinea, is a key route for international trade and connects all of the major continents.
The current crisis in the Red Sea, and the re-routing of maritime traffic, he explained attest to the strategic importance of the western coast of Africa.
In addition, the President emphasised that the growing investments in the region, particularly oil and gas infrastructure means that coastal trading and maritime traffic are bond to increase.
With its growing wealth and strategic relevance, unfortunately the region he said has to contend with, both traditional and maritime security threats.
“Today piracy and armed robbery at sea, which are the most visible symptoms of insecurity on the Gulf of Guinea had as a resulted in the collaboration of efforts of the Nigerian and Ghanaian and other Navies, being appreciably suppressed but still remains important threats to national and regional maritime activities.
Aside these major threats, he continued that, there are increasing numbers of other incidents occurring in the territorial and international waters across the entire African continent — “illegal oil bunkering, kidnappings at sea for ransom, illegal fishing, terrorism, and drug trafficking are common threats across our territorial waters.”
These transnational crimes do not only threaten national and regional peace and security, but also comes at a great cost to the economies of both coast and non-coast states, President Akufo-Addo disclosed.
In the face of these challenges, he said it is imperative “we foster greater cooperation and collaboration amongst Africa maritime forces, by working together and sharing intelligence and coordinating our efforts, we can address effectively maritime security threats and safeguard our maritime domain.”
Beyond regional efforts to address these threats posed by maritime insecurity, the President said there has been other external initiatives such as joint exercises with other foreign navy ships.
These foreign exercises, nonetheless, the President commended had aided at improving the interoperability amongst the region’s Navy forces and evaluating operational response to maritime threats.
Last month, US Navy ship joined two (2) Ghana Navy ships to conduct exercises which included a voyage to the centre of the earth where the equator intersects with the prime meridian which culminated in an amphibious landing exercise by the Ghana Navy’s special boat squadron and Ghana Armed Special Operations brigades.
US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer said the event is a testament not only to the shared commitment to maritime security but also to the enduring partnership between Ghana and the US and the continent of Africa.
Here in West Africa, she said “peace building and security “are never far off our minds” adding: “Ghana has been fortunate in avoiding violent extremist attacks” as some of her neighbours had been unlucky.
As repeatedly stated by President Akufo-Addo, Virginia Palmer said West Africa is under the threat of terrorism and violent extremism and that countries in this region can no longer take their territorial integrity for granted.
The US Ambassador stressed that, this indeed is a critical time they need to work and collaboration with everyone at the event to restore peace and stability in the territorial waters of the region.
She commended Ghana for contributing immensely to UN peacekeeping and championing democracy on the African continent.
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
