One thousand, one hundred and eighty-nine (1,189) Ghanaian seafarers have been employed in the maritime sector.
Mr Thomas Kofi Alonsi, the Director-General of Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), announced this at a press briefing in Accra on Wednesday.
He said the employment of the seafarers in the maritime sector followed the signing of MoUs in London and Brunei.
He disclosed that 36 undertakings have been entered into with different countries to employ more Ghanaian seafarers.
Mr Alonsi said in the quest to alleviate water pollution in the country, the Authority has secured machinery to clear weeds and other pollutants from water bodies.
“The Authority has purchased three aquatic trash skimmers to clear weeds and plastics from bodies of water and clean up the marine environment. Two are currently operating on the Volta Lake, and one is operating in Ada to clean up the marine environment,” he noted.
On capacity building, he said the GMA has developed a PreSea-Vocational training programme to train seafarers and bridge the existing gap between seafarers on merchant vessels and those on fishing vessels.
He added that GMA had resourced satellite offices in Dambai, Axim, and Yeji to improve inland waterway safety and to offer search and rescue services.
Patience Anaadem, ISD