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Between Wednesday March 24, 2021 and Monday March 29, 2021, international navigation in the Suez Canal stopped following the grounding of a giant Japanese container ship NEVER GIVEN. This incident brought back memories of my stay in the Middle East some fifty years ago.
In 1975, after the Yom Kippur War of October 1973 between Egypt and Israel, I carried out my first United Nations peacekeeping mission with United Nations Emergency Force 2 (UNEF 2) in the Sinai Desert, Egypt. The Deputy Force Commander / Chief of Staff was then Ghanaian Brigadier General Erskine (later Lieutenant General), with Major General Ensio Silasvio of Finland as Force Commander.
As a young platoon commander commanding thirty-one soldiers, my first duty station was in Ismailia, halfway on the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean port of Port Said to the north and the Red Sea port of Suez to the south.
Coincidentally, at the same time as the blockage of the channel made global headlines, gold smuggling into Ghana grabbed the headlines.
Questions
One might wonder what is the correlation between an Egyptian channel and gold from Ghana? How important is gold in the life of Ghana? Likewise, what is the importance of the Suez Canal in the economic life of Egypt?
Suez Canal
Until 1869, there was no connection between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Ships sailing from Europe to Asia therefore had to navigate through West Africa to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of South Africa.
In 1859, a French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps directed the construction of a canal. The Suez Canal which was opened in 1869 was / is an artificial waterway connecting Suez to Port Said. It stretches for 193 km and is between 200 and 300 feet wide.
Although built on Egyptian territory, the French and British believed they had a right to the canal given their investment in it.
UNEF 1
Indeed, Egyptian President Nasser’s attempt to nationalize the canal in 1956 led to British and French troops being parachuted to take control of the canal area. The incursion of Israeli troops in support of the British and French led to a war between Egypt and Israel, which led the UN to insert the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF 1), the UN’s first armed peacekeeping mission, to restore law and order.
Egyptian economy
The channel is one of Egypt’s main sources of foreign currency and a national asset. Handling about 13% of global maritime trade in 2020, the Egyptian Canal’s revenues from 2015 to 2010 amounted to $ 27.2 billion, averaging over $ 5 billion per year.
Indeed, when the announcement was made that the ship had been refloated, there was spontaneous jubilation throughout Egypt.
Like the Suez Canal, gold has been an important source of foreign exchange for Ghana.
Do Ghanaians see Ghana’s gold as a national asset like Egyptians see their channel?
When was the last time Ghanaians celebrated together?
The Civil Society Oil and Gas Platform recently said that more than $ 10 billion in gold shipped from Ghana between 2014 and 2016 could not be counted.
Ghana-and-gold
For a country endowed with so much gold which was called the Gold Coast before independence, the leak of our “golden gold” reported by Ghana is sad. In 2018, $ 5 billion in gold could not be counted as it was allegedly smuggled into the United Arab Emirates.
As children in the 1960s, we were imbued with the patriotic spirit. Where has it gone and why have we become so selfish and greedy? Why are we leaking our gold through official channels cheaply in individual pockets rather than into the market for Ghana’s benefit?
“Galamsey” is another leak!
Gold mining began around the same time over a century ago in Johannesburg, South Africa, as Obuasi. While Johannesburg is a rich city, Obuasi remains a poor village!
Conclusion
Blocking the Suez Canal for just a week had a significant economic impact on Egypt. Crude oil moving north to Europe and manufactures moving south to Asia and East / Southern Africa have been stopped. The cost to international business has been estimated at $ 9.6 billion / day.
When the ship was refloated there was a national celebration. I wondered, other than the days when football united us, when was the last time Ghanaians celebrated Ghana together?
Are we going to gloat if all the gold leaks were plugged today?
While the blockade of Suez can be seen as force majeure, the smuggling of gold outside by Ghanaians is a deliberately unpatriotic act for selfish and greedy reasons, for which we must bow our heads in shame!
Speaking to a graduating class at Sandhurst, UK in 1965, Queen Elizabeth told cadets that “the best and purest form of leadership is EXAMPLE!”
Ghana! Where’s the leadership? (Integrity / Discipline / Patriotism?)
Ghanaians, wake up!
Gen. From brigade Dan Frimpong (Rtd)
Former CEO, African Peace Support Trainers Association
Nairobi, Kenya
President of the council
University College of Family Health
Accra
[email protected]Source: Gen. From Brigade Dan Frimpong (Rtd), Former CEO, African Association of Trainers for Peace Support, Nairobi, Kenya
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