Accra: Rear Admiral Livinus Bessing, the Chief of Naval Staff, has charged the media to play its advocacy role to urge governments to adequately resource the Ghana Navy to ensure maritime security for Ghana. Rear Admiral Bessing highlighted that while the Navy is capable of effectively discharging its duties, a lack of logistics is significantly hindering their operations.
According to Ghana News Agency, Rear Admiral Bessing made these remarks at the opening ceremony of a three-day training for journalists and media practitioners on maritime security, safety, and the blue economy in the Gulf of Guinea. This event was organized by the European Union-Enhanced Maritime Action in the Gulf of Guinea (ENMAR) and the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute (GoGMI), with funding from the European Union and implemented by Expertise France.
The Chief of Naval Staff noted a recent incident where a French navy ship docked at the Tema Port managed to arrest over 10 tonnes of narcotic drugs in Ghanaian waters, illustrating the challenges faced by navies on the Gulf of Guinea due to insufficient resources. He stressed that the capability to perform their duties exists, but the necessary tools are lacking. He urged journalists and media to advocate for governmental provision of such resources, emphasizing the covert nature of maritime operations that often go unnoticed.
Rear Admiral Bessing further lamented Ghana's loss of approximately 200 million dollars due to Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing and other maritime security issues, which could be mitigated with appropriate tools. He expressed regret over the stalled flagship project to acquire two Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPVs), which has been in discussion since 2010 but remains unrealized. He called on the media to challenge this stagnation by highlighting the financial losses and potential gains from such investments.
Encouraging media practitioners to seek information from the navy regarding sea activities and threats, such as piracy and drug trafficking, Rear Admiral Bessing underscored the importance of media advocacy in bolstering support for the navy's mission to protect Ghana's maritime domain.
In a keynote address, Mr. Albert K. Dwumfour, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), emphasized the country's leadership and commitment to safeguarding the maritime domain and advancing the collective security of the Gulf of Guinea. He highlighted the critical role journalists play in bringing maritime issues to the forefront, shaping public debate, and holding leaders accountable.
Mr. Dwumfour urged participating journalists to recognize the maritime story as integral to Ghanaian, West African, and human security narratives, advocating for diverse voices in media reporting to strengthen governance and democratic processes.
