Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College’s (GAFCSC) Maritime Sector Governance Course 2023 (MSGC ’23) has closed with a call for Centres of Excellence and operating institutions to bridge the gaps in between them to improve ocean governance.
The Special Adviser to Ghana’s President for the Accra Initiative – Ambassador Major General (Maj Gen) Francis Adu-Amanfoh (Rtd), made the call as the Guest-of-Honour for the maritime module of GAFCSC’s Master of Science (MSc) degree in Defence and International Politics (MDIP), on Friday 17 February, 2023, at the Ankrah Hall, Teshie Ridge.
Ambassador Maj Gen Adu-Amanfoh (Rtd) challenged the Commandant of GAFCSC and his staff to reach out to the maritime industry, to propose areas of study for various research works for students of the Course – run solely by Ghanaian experts drawn from the Military, the Maritime Industry, the University of Ghana and the Regional Maritime University – whose findings could then be forwarded to relevant agencies, for them to determine which ones they could implement.
The Retired Army General said African countries stand to lose enormously if an effective and coordinated strategy is not evolved to ensure sustainable exploitation of its maritime domain, and to protect the domain against unlawful exploitation and disruption.
He said although the maritime domain facilitates unique freedom of movement of goods, while allowing people and cargo to transit with anonymity not generally available by movement over land or air, some individuals and organisations have demonstrated a continued desire to exploit such vulnerabilities, due to the complex nature and immense size of the sea.
Some lessons brought out from the 5-day module of MDIP 22/23 were that 1) dealing with the various threats in the Gulf of Guinea region requires the application of complex multi-agency and multi-national solutions; and 2) that to ensure effective and efficient management of the maritime domain, there is a need to coordinate the efforts of all players.
Present were the Commandant, GAFCSC – Maj Gen Irvine Aryeetey, Deputy Commandant Brigadier General Abass Seidu, Assistant Commandant Air Commodore Eric Yirenkyi, Dean of Academic Studies – Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, Chief Coordinator – Colonel Mantey, Chief Instructor and Directing Staff.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
