The Centre for Maritime Law and Security (CEMLAWS) Africa is banking its hopes on government for the immediate endorsement of the National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS), to give way for its implementation which can help Ghana enhance her fortunes in the Maritime sector.
Likewise, a Maritime Law Consultant and Legal Practitioner at Alliance Partners, Dr. Kofi Mbiah says that political will is of utmost importance to the sustainability of the strategy.
Dr. Mbiah said:“Political will is critical. This plan can be put in a glossy document with all the fine details but if we don’t execute for the rational expected outcome, then it will be an exercise in futility.”
The astute maritime lawyer further called for the establishment of defined legal framework that would complement the administrative and operational roles of the various organizations to avoid overlaps or gaps during implementation of the NIMS.
“In the blue economy, you have fisheries, oil and gas, tourism, commercial shipping, port services and at the same time there is the issue of protection of marine life, and security of the marine environment.
It is important for this strategy to take into consideration all these focal points so that we can draw synergies from the complementarities that exist,” the maritime expert advised.
The National Integrated Maritime Strategy is a document that serves as a consolidated framework for the maritime domain to promote sustainability and security of Ghana’s blue economy.
A key outcome of the Security Governance Initiative (SGI), the NIMS, was developed by an inter-agency maritime working group with technical support from the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa (CEMLAWS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with funding from the Kingdom of Denmark.
“If you followed the International Maritime Exhibition and Defence Conference, the Vice President had indicated that government was going to endorse the NIMS. So, I am optimistic.
I believe the government knows the importance of the blue economy to the general economy,” a fellow at CEMLAWS Africa, Godfred-Sowah Khartey, added.
The two were panelists on GPHA’s Eye on Port to highlight the benefits of the NIMS amid the surge in piracy and sea-borne crime within the Gulf of Guinea region.