The maiden edition of the National Blue Economy Summit has been held in Accra aimed at mobilising transformative ocean action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Under the theme, “our ocean’s health, our prosperity, our planet’s security” the 2-day conference brought together industry players, diplomats, academics, students, traditional leaders, policy makers and the media to appreciate critical ocean concerns, the massive socio-economic potentials the ocean possesses and how to sustainably manage it.
The myriad of topics deliberated on, include plastic pollution, sustainable ocean foods, maritime security and innovative financing of ocean action.
Special Advisor to the President on the SDGs and Sherpa on Ocean Action, Dr. Eugene Owusu said the ocean represents the future when it comes to Ghana’s food security, prosperity, and national security hence should be treated as such.
He said “we must strive for a Blue Economy that is built on the principle of sustainability, inclusivity and environmental equity. The Blue Economy that harnesses the potential of our ocean while preserving the valuable resources for generations to come.”
The Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Ingrid Mollestad touched on the partnerships that exists between her country and Ghana in sustainable ocean management.
“The Blue Economy in fact can be a powerful motor for the prosperity and development of Ghana. We are immensely proud of the efforts put in this cooperation on both sides and of its successes. For example, the gear directive now preventing trawlers from catching young fish and small fishes, protecting both stocks and interest of local additional fishes.”
President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo proposed a 5-point agenda for urgent action at the country level to protect the oceans, planet and wellbeing of citizens.
He called for increased private-public partnerships to attract private capital into more sustainable marine-based projects among other things.
The National Blue Economy Summit was spearheaded by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advisory Unit at the Office of the President and supported by the government of Norway, the United Nations Development Program, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.
