President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has hinted of the possibility of a course of action that will see Chiefs of Defense Staff (CDSs) in the West African sub-region coordinate efforts in dealing with transnational threats.
He explained that his position as the Chair of the Authority of Heads of States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and a seat on the UN Security Council place enormous responsibility on Ghana to lead and coordinate the fight against all threats.
“Our country and the sub-region currently faces a two-prong threat from violent extremism from the Sahel region which is fast moving southwards towards our northern borders and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea located on our southern borders.”
Therefore, the President has “charged the Chief of Defense Staff to work with his counterparts in the sub-region to develop possible courses of action for the consideration of the Authority of Heads of States”.
Already, the President indicated that “several actions have been taken particularly in insulating our northern borders from the onslaught of violent extremists. The Northern Border Project designed to insulate our land borders in the north is progressing steadily and would include the establishment of Forward Operating Bases along the northern borders and equipping them with state-of-the-art equipment to defend the country”.
The President gave the hint at the commissioning of four 40-meter river class patrol boats for the Ghana Navy at the Western Naval Command in Sekondi in the Western Region.
The vessels are GNS Volta-P40, GNS Densu-P41, GNS Pra-P42 and GNS Ankobra-P3.
As part of government’s effort to provide effective security to the offshore oil and gas infrastructure, approval was granted the Ministry of Defense and the Ghana Navy to enter a lease agreement with Israel Shipyard Limited for the lease of four aluminum offshore security vessels.
The vessels are to replace previous arrangements of using private vessels manned by naval personnel in providing security and support to oil and gas activities in the country’s maritime domain.
President Akufo-Addo decried the state of insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea which, he noted, is threatening the country’s economic growth while also denting the image of coastal states in the Gulf of Guinea and said the investment made for the Ghana Navy is in order.
“The high dependence of the nation’s economy on offshore resources, as well as the enormous potentials of the maritime sector to contribute to our food security and employment generation, makes provision of effective maritime security very imperative. Therefore the Ghana Navy … deserves all the support it needs”
3 news.com
