By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo
Tema, Oct. 06, GNA – Ghana’s pursuit of maritime excellence should translate into jobs, greater youth participation and increased opportunities for women in the blue economy, Madam Josephine Nkrumah, Maritime Lawyer and Senior Fellow at the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute, has said.
Madam Nkrumah said Ghana’s maritime sector had significant potential to support job creation, empower communities and strengthen the country’s position as a trading and commercial hub.
She stated that youth participation was critical because of the region’s large youth population and the need to ensure that young people benefited from opportunities emerging from the blue economy.
Speaking at a media forum powered by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), she also called for greater participation of women in the maritime sector, particularly in technical and decision-making positions rather than limiting their involvement to ancillary roles.
She said Ghana’s National Integrated Maritime Strategy contained provisions on inclusion of women, youth and marginalised groups, but the critical question was how those commitments would be translated into practical opportunities.
Madam Nkrumah stressed that Ghana also needed to strengthen collaboration with coastal communities to promote sustainable fisheries and food security.
She said maritime excellence should result in safer seas, food security and job creation while ensuring that ocean governance delivers benefits beyond coastal communities.
She also called for stronger engagement between policymakers, private-sector actors, think tanks and civil society organisations to support maritime-sector development.
She said young people needed to be deliberately connected to opportunities within the blue economy.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo, GNA
Email: [email protected]