Tuna boats will have a naval officer on board – GTA

Stakeholder engagement aims to strengthen media relations with the state

The Ghana Tuna Association (GTA) has announced that from October naval officers will be on board the tuna vessels to combat frequent pirate attacks on the high seas.

Mr. Richster Nii Amarh Amarfio, Secretary of the Association, revealing this at the Ghana News Agency-Tema Sixth Stakeholder Engagement Seminar, said the ship owners would take care of the officers on board.

Mr Amarfio said: “We have agreed to put naval officers on the vessels for a fee and this is the only reason Korea will allow its qualified captains and others to fish around the Eastern Corridor area. which is known for its piracy activities.

He revealed that Ghana did not have trained sailors, “we cannot do without the Korean crew, 85% of our partnerships are Korean if they leave the system as they wanted, the system in particular. the tuna industry will collapse.

He said a certain part of the Eastern Corridor has been marked as a high risk area by the Korean government and warned its citizens against any visit to these areas, even though this is where most of the tuna can be. fished.

Giving a brief history of piracy, he said all the pirates came from Nigeria, adding that they used to attack tankers at sea until one day they couldn’t attack one and set off. on a tuna boat, where they discovered there were foreign crew members. which they captured and released after paying a ransom.

He revealed that this year two Ghanaian ships had already been hijacked by pirates, revealing that in one of the hijackings five foreign crew members of his ship were captured.

He said all crew members had since been brought back, adding however that “some out of fear had returned to their countries, and due to the hacking it is difficult to get crew members as Ghana does not train no such professionals “.

Mr Amarfio, who is also the director of operations for Laif Fisheries, and a fisheries advocate, said they are currently relying on signals from some Italian Navy vessels monitoring the corridor, which alert authorities to imminent hacker attacks leading to some calm in the system.

Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Director of GNA, explained that stakeholder engagement aims to strengthen media relations with state and non-state actors.

He said that in view of the emerging challenges of journalistic development, especially fake news and trends in social media, where ministers of state and government officials have resorted to official communication through social media platforms , it is necessary to maintain the pillars of professional journalism through the dissemination of impartial information. news to the world.

He called the practice of public officials disseminating formal information through their private social media portal an anomaly, saying that “even though it is false, it is also a dangerous development which has contributed to the circulation of false information. new.

“Now the world, especially media professionals, is uncertain whether to keep the professionalism of traditional media or get on the social media fast train with its landmines.”

Mr. Ameeibor said the principles of truthfulness, correctness, objectivity, impartiality, fairness and public accountability cannot be sacrificed on the altar of speed or speculative journalism.

“We cannot deny the fact that the old analog method of collecting information is long gone; news gathering and dissemination cannot wait two seconds, we are in the fast lane, then what can media professionals do to catch up with the rapidly changing new media news train?

He said the collection of newsworthy news and its subsequent dissemination to the public has changed, hence the need for the Ghanaian media landscape to wake up to the global winds of change.

“We need information every hour, between hours too, the citizen needs information, if traditional media don’t provide it, social media will fill the void.

“Our news package must also move from mediocre information from long sermons to fast, accurate, objective and straightforward information,” Ameyibor noted.

The other speakers are Mr. Irwin Cofie, Deputy Marketing Director of SIC Insurance; Ms. Cunthia Kwarten Tufuor SIC Tema Area Manager; Ms. Cunthia Twumasi, Deputy Area Manager, who spoke about fire insurance and Homeplus policy; and Ms. Doris Gorman, municipal director of the Tema information service.