By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo
Tema, Oct. 05, GNA — The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has called for stronger implementation of maritime policies and international conventions to translate Ghana’s commitments into measurable operational outcomes.
Mr Eric D. Ang-numbaala, a Senior Planning Officer at the GMA, said the gap between policy formulation and practical implementation remained an important issue requiring continuous review by maritime institutions.
Speaking on the theme for this year’s World Maritime Day, “From Policy to Practice, Powering Maritime Excellence,” at a Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA)-powered media forum, he said Ghana needed to regularly assess what existed on paper against what was being achieved on the ground.
He said international maritime conventions, including the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), had to translate into operational excellence.
The theme provided an opportunity for maritime institutions to identify implementation gaps, address weaknesses, and ensure that policies produced the desired outcomes, Ang-numbaala said.
Mr Ang-numbaala said the two-year focus of the theme, covering 2026 and 2027, also meant that stakeholders would have to demonstrate concrete progress in translating international conventions, frameworks and plans into practice.
He said the GMA’s ongoing restructuring and realignment, including efforts to strengthen its presence in critical maritime and inland waterway operations, formed part of efforts to operationalise key policies and instruments.
Madam Josephine Nkrumah, a Maritime Lawyer and Senior Fellow at the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute, said Ghana had become more deliberate in shaping maritime policy and had developed a National Integrated Maritime Strategy.
Madam Nkrumah said maritime activities affected everyday life through the importation of medicines and other goods, export trade, food security, coastal livelihoods and the wider economy.
She stated that maritime excellence should ultimately benefit citizens through safer seas, food security, job creation and efficient trade facilitation.
She called for stronger collaboration among policymakers, private-sector actors, think tanks and civil society organisations to help shape and implement maritime policies.
GNA
Reporter: Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo
Email: [email protected]