Crisis Communication Course on Maritime Issues Concludes in Accra

General News of Sunday, January 27, 2019

Source: GNA

2019-01-27

Ms Diana Acconcia, Ambbadador of the European Union to Ghana, said that maritime governance was needed to improve the blue economy as well as the coordination of efforts to combat maritime insecurity and the threat which resulted from it.

She said that it would protect human activities at sea and natural resources around the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).

Mrs. Acconcia said this in a speech read on her behalf at the closing ceremony of the first crisis communication course of the interregional network of the Gulf of Guinea (GoGIN) for English-speaking countries, held at the Maritime University. Regional Council (RMU) of Accra.

The 10-day course, organized by the Interregional Coordination Center (ICC) based in Yaoundé, Cameroon and funded by the European Union and the Kingdom of Denmark as part of the GoGIN project, was facilitated by trainers from 39 Expertise France.

It brought together 14 participants from five coastal GoG countries – Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Cameroon and Sierra Leone.

Participants came from the Ghanaian Navy, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Gambia Maritime Authority, the Ports Authority of The Gambia and the Gambia. of the Liberian Maritime Authority.

Others also came from the Military Intelligence Center of Cameroon, the Ministry of Transport (Maritime Affairs) of Cameroon, the Liberian National Authority for Fisheries and Aquaculture, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Transport. Wing of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and Maritime Administration of Sierra Leone.

The purpose of the Crisis Communication Course was to prepare crisis management stakeholders and their public relations officers to be able to communicate effectively with the media in crisis situations at sea.

The participants were seduced by the characteristics of a press release, the organization of press conferences and the presentation of skills to answer questions in times of crisis.

Others were studio work and simulation exercises with experienced journalists who questioned them about potential crises such as piracy and armed robbery, illegal, uncontrolled and undeclared fisheries, shipwrecks , drug trafficking and oil spills.

Acconcia said the challenges at sea required more capable people, with more skills, more experience and networking capabilities.

Challenges listed include illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, illegal dumping of waste and piracy, and armed robbery at sea, among others.

She added that there were also cultural barriers to effective inter-agency cooperation within a country and across borders, adding that "but given the various threats that weigh in the region, states are today". have to worry more than ever about maritime safety ".

Acconcia said that shipping represents the largest volume of world trade, indicating that 90% of Europe's global trade is by sea.

She said GoGIN's goal was to help countries in the region build their human capacity, which is essential for effective and concrete action, adding that "GoGIN was working with the ICC to promote regional learning in Africa. connecting African maritime universities ".

Commander Derrick Attachie, Head of ICC Training, thanked the Commission of the European Union for its technical, logistical and financial support to the efforts of the countries of the region, as well as the RMU for facilitating the strengthening of the capabilities of the West Sea professionals. and in Central Africa.

He reminded everyone of the need to cooperate and collaborate among national stakeholders and among the GoG regional partners set out in the Yaoundé Code of Conduct.

"To achieve the regional goal of drastic reduction of maritime crime in the government, we must start with individual contributions to agency initiatives, national and regional.

"Therefore, I urge you to maintain the close relationships established during the training period, as they would form the basis for greater collaboration at the national and regional levels," he said.

Mr. Eric Glotin, Regional Coordinator for West Africa, Regional Marine Safety, invited participants to use the knowledge gained for the purpose intended to strengthen maritime safety and security efforts in the region. region.

Professor Elvis Kofi Nyarko, vice-chancellor of the RMU, congratulated the resource persons and all the participants for the time and effort devoted to the success of the course.

He said he was optimistic about the inclusion of the crisis communication course in the course catalog provided by the university's Maritime Safety and Security Center.

Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (ASI) Gifty Amgborme, on behalf of her colleagues, paid tribute to the course organizers, who had empowered them for their various areas of operations.

The certificates were presented to the participants.