The Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye has charged the Ghana Navy to step up security along Ghana’s coast.
He said Ghana’s oil sites are sea-based, hence exposes the country to various criminal threats.
The Speaker cited issues that are associated with the increase in crime on the shores of oil-rich countries.
Speaking at the launch of the 60th anniversary and book launch on the “History of the Ghana Navy”, Prof. Oquaye indicated that the country will depend immensely on the Ghana Navy to forestall attacks at sea.
“We look forward to them [Navy] favorably being well-resourced and in a manner that will enable them to read the challenges of criminals and other workers both from inside and without”, he said.
He cautioned about the vulnerability of Ghana’s oil.
“I’m particularly interested in the merit way, in view of the fact that the oil that Ghana has discovered is basically sea-based (oceanic discovery) and that means that we have to face a lot of challenges by way of pirates and these can become a serious national economy threat,” he said.
Pirates are no match for us – Ghana Navy
Commodore James Osei Kontor, Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) the Eastern Naval Command,in 2018 assured that the navy would purse and flush out pirates in Ghana’s waters.
“We train to fight other national navies which are well-trained and have firepower and war strategy. These pirates cannot match the navy at all; rest assured that we will not allow them to terrorize you.”
Commodore Kontor was addressing owners and managers of fishing companies in Tema during a meeting aimed at discussing the concerns of the fishers as well as seeking ways to collaborate on matters of security at sea and at anchorage.
The fishers had been shaken by activities of pirates along Ghana’s shores at the time.
The Commodore asked the owners and managers to always do a thorough background check on their would-be employee seafarers since such persons could be part of the wider pirate criminal network.
