The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has raised concerns about some illegalities perpetuated by pirates and other unscrupulous individuals in the Gulf of Guinea.
The concerns were raised when a delegation from the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana and other EU Heads of Mission accredited to Ghana, had a meeting with the Foreign Affairs Minister in Accra to discuss the EU’s Coordinated Maritime Presence (CMP) as well as other efforts by European countries to eradicate maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.
Madam Ayorkor Botchway described illegalities perpetuated on the Gulf of Guinea as ” a plethora of illicit activities and insecurities in the maritime domain” adding that such activities have occurred ” over a decade”.
These “piracy and other maritime crimes such as Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing have been on the rise and are posing serious threats to the safety and security of shipping”, she added.
She went on to state that “Ghana is actively engaged in regional efforts to ensure maritime security through the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) (Ghana falls within the maritime Zone ‘F’ of this Centre/architecture whilst other Member States fall within zones ranging from ‘A to G’), which was established by ECOWAS with the aim of developing a regional framework to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea”.
She emphasized the need to hold broad consultations with key Ghanaian stakeholders in maritime security such as the Ghana Navy and Ghana Maritime Authority to receive more technical and informed inputs specific to Ghana’s maritime security needs.
Madam Ayorkor Botchway urged the EU to coordinate with Gulf of Guinea countries within the ambit of regional/multilateral organizations such as the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), ECOWAS and ECCAS.
Head of the EU delegation presented a policy document with 18 provisions for a pilot project geared at safeguarding the maritime space within the Gulf of Guinea.
STORY BY: NATHANIEL NARTEY
