‘Cooperate with neighbours to solve maritime challenges’
The Head of the European Delegation (EU) to Ghana, Mr William Hanna, has asked the government to form a strong alliance with neighbouring countries to deal with maritime issues.
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He said the battle against illegal activities, the foremost being piracy, in the Gulf of Guinea would bear little fruit unless Ghana worked hand in hand with its neighbours.
Mr Hanna said this at the closing ceremony of an EU training programme for maritime stakeholders in Accra, organised in partnership with the Regional Maritime University (RMU).
Dubbed: “EU Crimgo Project”, the training programme brought together 18 participants from seven African countries to learn how to efficiently address problems in the maritime industry.
The countries are Benin, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria and Togo.
The objective of the eight-week course is to impart common skills to the various agencies involved in maritime safety and security around the Gulf of Guinea.
Improve cooperation
Mr Hanna called for a new approach to sharing information, knowledge and understanding to address the challenges in the maritime industry.
He said the EU and its partners were looking forward to the effective establishment of the international coordination centre and the creation of the different levels of regional or multinational coordination centres.
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According to Mr Hanna, the course was part of efforts to impart new skills and capabilities in order for participants to be equipped to prosecute fight illegal activities.
He commended the management of the RMU for its support during the training, which he said was in its final stages after it was started in 2013.
Maritime industry
The Maritime Training Component Manager of the EU Crimgo Project, Mr Eric Glotin, said representatives from the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Ghana Navy, the Ghana Police Service and the Ghana Revenue Authority participated in the training.
He called on the participants to practise what they had learnt so as to improve on maritime safety and security.