The Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Navy Captain Kamal-Deen Ali (Rtd.), PhD., wants Ghana’s sea ports to gain and retain the reputation of being the safest and most secure ports in Africa.
He has consequently asked the relevant agencies and institutions in the maritime industry to apply all the tools and skills at their disposal to achieve this purpose.
Dr. Ali said this in his remarks at a five-day workshop on cyber security in ports at Marriott Hotel in the capital, Accra this month. The workshop, sponsored by the UK Department for Transport, was designed to equip the participants “with an understanding of threats to ports posed by Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and security measures that can be implemented to protect against and respond to UAS threats.”
The organisers said they hoped the workshop would “raise delegates’ awareness of the threat of cyberattack, the role of the individual in keeping ports cybersecure and equipping delegates with a framework to produce a cybersecurity assessment and plan.”
The DG of GMA commended the UK Department for Transport and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for sponsoring the workshop and bringing together all the key state agencies in the country’s security sector to address “some of the most serious threats in the cybersecurity space.”
He was concerned that the sponsorship had run its course but was hopeful that upon an intervention by his office, the sponsors may find a way to continue to fund these collaborative efforts. “I convey to you the appreciation of the incoming Minister for Transport and the government of Ghana for the enormous support you give us in capacity building in many areas,” Dr. Ali stated.
He said the coming together of the agencies was particularly useful as it created a single platform to deliberate on key aspects of security and to fashion ways to deal with any threats. The participating agencies included GMA, Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Marine Police, Ghana Navy, National Security, National Investigations Bureau, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Cyber Security Authority, and Ghana Immigration Service.
Dr Ali urged them to take full advantage of the training to ensure the benefits are enduring and impactful.
