By Laudia Sawer
Tema, July 30, GNA – Dr Emmanuel Kofi Mbiah, Country Lead, UN Global Compact’s Ocean Initiative, has revealed that the ocean centre will create a multi-stakeholder platform to ensure ocean safety and sustaibanility.
Dr Mbiah noted that the ocean centres do not have physical presence, but rather they are more of a virtual hub that creates a multi-stakeholder platform.
Speaking at a media engagement empowered by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), he said they have mapped a cross section of industry players, from academia, government, public, non-government organisations, among others.
The engagement was held on the theme: “Ghana’s Role in Global Ocean Governance: Unpacking the Ocean Centres Initiative.”
He added that the ocean centres would create the platforms for these bodies to engage in a cross fertilisation of ideas to identify the challenges that beset Ghana’s ocean industry especially having regards to issues of safety and sustainability.
He said everything that is linked to the ocean would be drawn especially safety, stressing that if its not safe, then it is not sustainable, that’s why they were tying in safety with sustainability through the creation of a platform where they could exchange ideas, isolate the challenges and find, homegrown solutions.
According to him, homegrown localised solutions were important because the problems that were being identified might be unique to Ghana and consequently, the need to have Ghana’s own blue print to resolving those issues.
Dr Mbiah said: “As we move towards decarbonisation, the issues of climate change, we are talking about renewables, bringing in new things, we need to know the safety considerations as far as these things are concern. Before we introduce these new elements, we need to know how sustainable are these things that we bring on board.”
He indicated that the world was blue road to COP 30 in Brazile, adding that the centres are to bring out the challenges, and look out for solutions, stating for instance that, “ if talking about IUU, to what extend does it relate to blue economy, the key thing relating to sustainability and safety.
“We look at the causes, regulatory framework, and capacity for IUU; we are having IUU because the financial aspect is not there.”
He said blue finance was very key in sustaining the oceans, questioning what should be done to handle things that make people shy away from blue financing.
Mr Tolu Kweku Lacroix, the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network, Ghana, said his outfit have been working on ocean sustainability for some time now,
detailing the various steps leading to Ghana’s selection among the seven countries to pilot the ocean centres initiatives.
He said workshops would be organised for the various sectors in the industry teaching them about safety, to ensure Ghana have a robust industry with regards to safety and sustainability.
He reitirated that the centres would be community driven looking at the local needs and community needs, bringing together both the fisheries and those who are in the maritime companies, shippers, and finance sector.
The Global Compact Ocean Centre, is to be launched by the United Nations Global Compact Network Ghana under the patronage of the United Nations Global Compact and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation.
This follows the global launch of the United Nations Global Compact Ocean Centres Third United Nations Oceans Conference held in Nice, France.
The seven countries are Bangladesh, Brazil, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and the Philippines.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah