A strong call has gone out to the government of Ghana to upscale its security and security intelligence apparatus to meet the challenges of increasing piracy in the country’s territorial waters head on.
Speaking on Ghana’s maritime current affairs programme Eye on Port, the executive director of the Centre for Maritime Law and Security (Cemlaws Africa), Dr Kamal-Deen Ali Rtd, called for investment in the areas of logistics, financing and technology to meet the growing sophistication of piracy which was spreading rapidly into the country’s territorial waters.
Quoted on the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) website, he said piracy was not something that only affected vessels. “It affects businesses, it affects livelihoods, it affects everything. It could be that an attacked vessel may be carrying medical supplies.”
He said one of the contributing factors to the high cost of freight was the unsafe nature of the sub-region’s territorial waters which pushed up the cost of insurance on cargo and ships’ crew, which inevitably was passed on to importers and the end customer.
“It is incumbent on the national security apparatus, especially the navy, to be equipped, retooled and given the right financial backing to be able to tackle pirates who have become more sophisticated in their operations.”
Cemlaws Africa combines research expertise, policy understanding and practical insight in delivering responses to maritime issues.