Tema, July 25, GNA – The Ghana Merchant Navy Officers Association (GMNOA) has called for a business development model that will redesign the Ghana Merchant Navy and the Combat Ghana Navy to be integrated into development.
Captain Etoenyo Onassis Bankas, General Secretary of GMNOA mentioned that sea transport was tied to economic and national development especially in the modern industrialized world as such the development of such a model will outline guidelines to woo investors into the marine sector.
He said almost every country is into international trade and coastal states such as Ghana could take concrete steps to make the Merchant Navy an integral component of the nation’s economic development.
Capt. Bankas stated at the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office’s Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform.
The GNA Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue is a media think-tank platform for state and non-state and commercial and business operators to communicate to the world.
Speaking on the role of “Merchant Navy as against Combat Navy,” Capt. Bankas indicated that Merchant Navy generated huge revenue to the state with or without the government’s support and noted that, a well-resourced Ghana Merchant Navy could provide logistical support to the Armed Forces both in times of peace and war.
He said the previous political leaders that shipping was essential in the economic development of the country “Ghana Merchant Navy was established right after independence in 1958”.
The GMNOA Secretary explained that trade was growing and becoming more interactive than before as such modern investors needed to extensively study the sector and identify to take advantage of the system to make a profit.
He said the role of shipping services needed to be strengthened to secure the foundation to be more lucrative to both local and foreign investors because the marine space had changed over time.
“When you look at the development of countries like Singapore, Europe, North Korea, China, Japan you realize that indeed shipping played a major role in their development,” Capt. Bankas said.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager on his part, said journalists needed to take steps to report on the blue economy, which was an emerging concept that encouraged better stewardship of the ocean or ‘blue’ resources.
“GNA-Tema Regional team is being schooled on the blue economy to serve as the vanguard of blue economy reporters to ensure social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, which forms the basis for the blue economy,” Mr. Ameyibor noted.
GNA