The Director of Policy at the Ministry of National Security, Dr. Osei Bonsu Dickson, Esq. has justified why the recently launched National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS) has prioritised security over other aspects.
Contributing to the recent Eye on Port discussion on the NIMS’ prospects for growth and sustainability, the National Security expert intimated that the orchestrators of the strategy document found it necessary to get the thorny issue of security out of the way to allow for developmental issues.
“One of the major problems the country faces, is security. As of now, it is a primordial problem that we have; so we need to pay attention to it. You can’t have trade with lawlessness, you can’t have blue economy with lawlessness. You can’t have any of the things we dream of with a sea of troubles full of insecurities. Your insurance will go up, your cost of living in the country will go up and you will begin to have terrorism and all sorts of evils maritime wise; so every dream and objective we have relies on a safe and secure haven for all activities to take place.”
The lawyer also explained that the existence of the National Maritime Council within the architecture of the NIMS is to have a super ordinate body with the requisite clout to supervise the strategy “in a manner that brings it within the national vision”.
The Ministers for Transport, National Security, Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Energy are all represented at the National Maritime Council, in addition to the heads of the various relevant state agencies in maritime, according to Dr. Osei Bonsu Dickson.
He said the vision for the creation of a National Maritime Council is to have a high-level body that looks at integrating development from all aspects of maritime “so that Ghana will begin to feel like a real coastal state”.
The Director of Policy at the Ministry of National Security expressed hope that this arrangement “does not become an avenue for patronage”, which defies the true objectives of the strategy.
The National Integrated Maritime Strategy is intended to chart viable paths forward in addressing the perennial issues that plague the nation’s maritime space in order to ensure that Ghana’s maritime domain is globally regarded as safe and secure, with strong blue economy sectors that not only generate substantial national income, but also ultimately improve our people’s living standards.
Seven (7) basic concepts guide the NIMS, which are national ownership, social inclusion and impact, synergy, accountability, partnerships and cooperation, technology, and innovation and sustainability.
Each of these principles is embedded in the provisions outlined in this document, transforming the NIMS into a living strategy that considers current and future maritime threats and opportunities to advance Ghana through a sustainable and prosperous ocean economy for the benefit of all Ghanaians.
