The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has suggested that staff layoffs may be necessary to address what it has identified as an issue of excessive staffing.
This follows the completion of an internal audit, which showed that the organization employs far more people than needed for its operations.
In an interview with JoyNews, the Director-General of GMA, Dr. Kamal Deen Ali, discussed the strain the overstaffing has placed on the organization’s budget.
“We have a high budget in the area of compensation for workers’ salaries. Our workforce has grown almost 400% in the last few years. In 2017, we had fewer than 110 staff members, but by 2025, that number has neared 600. This has led to an unsustainable compensation budget,” he stated.
Dr. Ali further explained that the growth in staff numbers does not correspond with the GMA’s financial progress or its actual operational requirements.
He noted that the overstaffing issue may lead to a situation where employees lack sufficient tasks, which could hinder productivity.
The Director-General acknowledged that while a layoff is a policy matter, it remains a real possibility.
“We have employees who may not have enough to do. This issue, along with other structural concerns, is being reviewed to bring staffing to a reasonable level…lay off is a policy issue, but yes, lay off is possible,” he said.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched a one-week advanced Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) training at the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), Nutekpor, to enhance maritime security and equip personnel with advanced tactics to combat crime effectively.
UNODC representative Lieutenant Commander Chinazo Bertrand Chikeziri (Rtd) described the training as a continuation of the basic VBSS course, providing additional capacity to interdict non-compliant vessels.
He expressed hope that participants would acquire advanced skills to operate both individually and collaboratively.
The Guest of Honour, the School of Maritime Operations (SMOPS), Lieutenant Commander Joseph Jeffery Donkor, urged participants to engage actively, build networks, and share ideas.
He highlighted the importance of collaborating to secure the Gulf of Guinea against piracy and criminal activities.
Preparations are well underway for the introduction of the maritime single window program, aimed at streamlining vessel clearance processes at Ghana’s ports.
The digital platform will integrate operations of shipping lines and regulatory bodies, allowing seamless information sharing for vessel clearance activities, in compliance with the International Maritime Organisation’s Annex to the Facilitation (FAL) Convention.
In anticipation of the phased launch scheduled for April, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has conducted extensive engagements with stakeholders involved in vessel clearance, including Shipping Agents, Customs, Port Health, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Immigration Service, and Narcotics Control Commission.
Francis Donkor, Corporate IT Manager at GPHA, emphasized the unique focus of the maritime single window on vessel clearance, distinct from cargo clearance managed by the Integrated Customs Management System. He highlighted the platform’s role in facilitating pre-arrival clearance processes for vessels entering Ghanaian waters.
Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and Ghana Maritime Authority representatives expressed readiness for the vessel clearance system’s implementation, acknowledging its potential to enhance trade facilitation and streamline clearance procedures.
Seth Toku-Dum, an Assistant Revenue Officer at the Customs Division, emphasized the importance of efficient vessel turnaround times for trade facilitation, expressing Customs‘ readiness to embrace initiatives that improve clearance processes.
Lydia Odai-Tettey, Principal Planning Officer at Ghana Maritime Authority, welcomed the maritime single window’s implementation, highlighting its approval by the International Maritime Organisation and Ghana’s commitment to adopting modern clearance practices.
Ghana and Togo are on the verge of finalizing a Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement, aiming to resolve the longstanding dispute over the ocean boundary between the two nations.
Currently, a delegation from Togo is meeting with the Ghana Boundary Commission in Accra to determine the signing dates for the agreement by the Presidents of both countries.
The disputed area has seen restrictions on fishing and economic activities. The National Coordinator for the Ghana Boundary Commission, Major General Emmanuel Kotia, emphasizes that the signed agreement will unlock economic opportunities in the region, offering a favorable environment for investors.
Major General Kotia points out that the negotiated resolution stands in contrast to the Ghana-Cote d’Ivoire situation, where international legal mechanisms were involved.
“We have been able to solve a maritime barrier through negotiation and mediation so going to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea is unlike what happened between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.”
Negotiations between Ghana and Togo regarding their maritime boundary have been ongoing since 2018. Concurrently, the Ghana Boundary Commission Bill is undergoing parliamentary consideration.
Major General Kotia anticipates that once passed, the bill will empower the Commission to not only address external boundary disputes but also play a crucial role in resolving internal boundary and electoral boundary disagreements.
Speaking at the Commission’s annual retreat in the Eastern Region, Major General Kotia expressed optimism about the expanded responsibilities, emphasizing the potential for the Commission to contribute significantly to the resolution of internal disputes through negotiation and mediation.
“This is a major development so far as the bill is concerned. The new area that we may be seeing ourselves performing is to help resolve internal boundary disputes, including electoral boundaries where they are deferred to us or where we have problems so far as internal boundaries are concerned. We are not going to be responsible for demarcating internal boundaries, but just to assist in amicably resolving this dispute through negotiation and mediation. It is going to enhance the tasks of the Boundary Commission,” Major General Kotia states.
Two men were lifted up to safety from the broken boat.
The Irish broadcaster RTÉ said that a rescue mission turned into a big security operation.
It said officials later got on and took control of a large ship and it was being guided to Cork Port.
It is believed that the ship is involved in illegal drug smuggling.
RTÉ reported that the ship did not follow instructions to let the authorities board it, and it is believed that well-trained military personnel were involved.
The security operation is still happening for two days. The gardai and Irish Naval Service said they won’t give any comments. The Irish Coast Guard said that the fishing boat made a call for help at around 22:10 on Sunday night.
The boat was stuck on a sandbank near Blackwater, a little ways up from Rosslare Port.
A helicopter from the Coast Guard and a local crew from RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) came to help.
The Coast Guard said that they were not able to tow the ship, so they used a winch to bring the injured people off the ship.
The US has pledged to invest $48 million this year to help train and equip the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to combat piracy and illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea.
The US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, said the US was committed to supporting Ghana’s efforts to ensure a safe and secure maritime domain for the benefit of the entire region.
“We know security threats don’t just come from the Sahel; piracy and illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea pose persistent threats to the nation’s prosperity,” she said.
She was speaking at a ceremony to commission new structures and equipment for the Special Boat Squadron (SBS) of the Ghana Navy at the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) at Nutekpor, near Sogakope in the Volta Region last Friday.
The US provided the SBS with two interceptor vessels – 38” Defender Class Safe Boats, named “Kofi Faidoo” and “Seth Amoama”, worth $6.4 million, as well as a replacement of a landing jetty known as pontoon pier.
Ms Palmer also cut the sod for the construction of an SBS Mobile Training Camp, which will be supported by the first persistent Engineering Detachment (Seabees) to work on naval infrastructure projects in Ghana.
Other projects include the construction of an SBS boat storage facility and other infrastructural developments.
In addition, Ms Palmer said the US had donated two patrol ships to Ghana, which would be commissioned later this year.
She also said that a team of US Special Operations Forces Africa Combat Divers would visit NAVTRAC to conduct a joint exchange training with the SBS.
“Our partnership has never been stronger, the Ghana Navy Special Boat Squadron programme is thriving, and Ghana’s maritime security is being fortified,” she added.
She further said that Ghana-US relations were productive and mutually beneficial, and that the US would continue to work with Ghana as a leader in West Africa on regional security, inclusive economic development and protection of democratic institutions.
Danish support
Meanwhile, the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Tom Norring, also inaugurated a mobile camp at NAVTRAC, which was donated by his country and valued at about €1million.
The structures were transported from Mali to Ghana about a year ago.
Mr Norring stressed the importance of enhancing capacity within the maritime domain and assured his country’s readiness to support initiatives that would promote maritime security.
Appreciation
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, expressed gratitude to the US and Denmark for their assistance, which he said would strengthen the friendship between Ghana and the two countries.
“This act of goodwill and generosity reflects their deep commitment to promoting peace and security in our maritime domain and the Gulf of Guinea in general,” he said.
He said the structures and equipment donated would enhance the capability and efficiency of the SBS and protect them from hazards in their operations.
The Flag Officer Commanding NAVTRAC, Commodore Bright Emmanuel Kofi Atiayao, also described the gesture from their benefactors as heart-warming.
A new three-unit classroom block for Nutekpor DA Basic School, sponsored by the US government, was also inaugurated.
Twenty African nations, along with European partners and the United States, are participating in the Grand African Navy Exercise for Maritime Operations (NEMO) in the Gulf of Guinea.
The exercise, led by French forces, is designed to support cooperative security efforts in West African waters. Along with coastal and island nations, including Sao-Tome and Principe and Nigeria, NEMO 2022 also includes military personnel from Italy, Portugal, Brazil, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
While piracy is a common threat along the coastline for Nigeria and its neighbors, the security scenarios for NEMO 2022 include enforcement on drug trafficking, pollution, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Sea rescue scenarios are another feature, and increasingly relevant as migrantsjourney by boat along the coastal route.
“We look forward to another opportunity to train and operate with our partners and allies as we work through challenging scenarios that will improve how we operate and communicate together,” said Capt. Michael Concannon, commanding officer of the USS Hershel “Woody” Williams, a U.S. vessel participating in the exercise.
“This Gulf of Guinea training opportunity further emphasizes our resolve, and the commitment and resolve of our partners and allies, to work together to improve the stability and security of coastal Africa.”
Since 2013, France’s Navy has held three or four regional naval exercises each year as part of the African NEMO series. They lead up to the annual Grand African NEMO, which will continue through this week.
