Kofi Ampeah Woode
Ghana Navy (GN) in collaboration with Ghana’s Fisheries Ministry and the Ghana Maritime Authority, are set to roll out the construction of aluminium canoes, to replace over 15,000 wooden canoes currently in use by artisanal fishers, to deliver to Ghanaian fishermen a safer, more efficient and modern fishing crafts.
The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Rear Admiral (R/Adm) Issah Adam Yakubu, announced the project on Saturday 9 September, 2023, at the commissioning of five vessels for use by the Navy, to further secure the nations maritime domain, by the Commander-In-Chief (C-In-C) of GAF, and the President of the Republic of Ghana – His Excellency (HE) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Admiral Yakubu stated that the new aluminium canoes, do not deviate significantly from the dug-out wooden canoes fishermen have been used to for centuries, and that the project would also help to conserve the forest cover, by eliminating the large numbers of trees fell to produce wooden canoes, thereby improving Ghana’s carbon footprints.
He continued that the ambitious project also aims in the near future, to utilize aluminium produced locally, to support the objectives of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Program.
He added that the first 2 prototypes of the aluminium canoe, designed and manufactured by partners from Singapore, have been delivered to the hierarchy of the national Fishermen Association, by HE the Vice President of Ghana – Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, on Tuesday 5 September, 2023, for trials.
He concluded that reports gathered indicate that the fishermen sailed the boat given them, from Sekondi in the Western Region, to Elmina in the Central Region, spending half the time they would have used with the wooden canoes, and also half the quantity of fuel. He said feedback from the users will be submitted to the manufacturers for the design to be finalized.
The C-In-C, in response to the project, said the collaboration between the Navy and the Fisheries Ministry, is the synergy needed in the maritime sector, and expressed confidence that with the implementation of Ghana’s National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS), stakeholders would work even closer together.
HE President Akufo-Addo said, one of the objectives of the NIMS is capacity building and research, and that as a developing country, Ghana’s ability to industrialize would determine how fast she can develop economically and technologically.
He expressed the hope that in time, the collaboration would help secure Ghana’s shipbuilding industry and offer opportunities to the youth, while mitigating the environmental impact of wooden canoes.
He therefore, charged the Fisheries Ministry, the Maritime Authority and the Navy, to collaborate with other academic institutions and the private sector, for the innovation to be developed further to include other platforms for the safe transportation of passengers, and boats on the Volta Lake and along the coasts.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
