By Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo
Tema, Oct. 05, GNA — The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has identified technology, funding, technical capacity and inter-agency collaboration as critical requirements for translating Ghana’s maritime policies into operational excellence.
Mr Eric Ang-numbaala, a Senior Planning Officer at the GMA, said the four areas required sustained attention as Ghana worked to improve safety, security, environmental protection and efficiency within the maritime sector.
Technology was indispensable to modern shipping and port operations, particularly in improving efficiency, meeting vessel expectations, automating operations, and supporting green shipping infrastructure.
Speaking at a Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) powered media forum, he said funding was another major gap, particularly in financing infrastructure improvements, capacity development and digital and cybersecurity requirements.
He added that technical capacity was equally important, noting that the GMA was working to improve the capacity of technical officers, particularly Port State Control officers at Ghanaian ports.
Mr Ang-numbaala also stressed the need for greater integration and inter-agency collaboration because maritime operations could not be effectively managed by one institution alone.
He said pollution prevention, for example, required cooperation among the Environmental Protection Authority, GMA, ports, shipping lines and vessel crews, while safety and security also required coordinated action.
He noted that the GMA had been strengthening stakeholder engagement, particularly in areas such as decarbonization, to ensure that maritime-sector outcomes were collectively owned as Ghana translates its maritime policies into practical action over the next year.
The Senior Planning Officer said progress under the two-year World Maritime Day theme, “From Policy to Practice, Powering Maritime Excellence,” should be assessed through measurable improvements in safety, security and operational performance.
He said one of the indicators would be whether Ghana’s safety administration had improved, particularly through effective Port State Control (PSC) inspections.
He announced that Ghana had recently been adjudged the best compliance Port State Control at a meeting of the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Gabon, which he described as an indication of progress in the country’s implementation of maritime standards.
Mr Ang-numbaala said the GMA was also working to increase the number and capacity of Port State Control officers responsible for inspecting vessels calling at Ghanaian ports, saying that effective PSC operations were important to ensuring that vessels were safe, complied with environmental requirements and met International Maritime Organisation standards.
On maritime security, he said stakeholders would want to see a reduction in incidents of piracy, armed robbery and other maritime offences and where incidents occurred, the speed and effectiveness of the response would also be an important measure of maritime security preparedness.
He added that the theme provided an opportunity for Ghana to return in a year’s time with a clear scorecard of the measures taken to translate international conventions, frameworks and plans into operational excellence.
GNA
Edited by Bertha Badu-Agyei/Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo
Email: [email protected]