Making Ghana’s ports safest in W/Africa is our goal — Maritime Authority

The Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Naval Captain Dr Kamal-Deen Ali (retd), has pledged to ensure that the country’s sea ports gain and retain the reputation of the safest and most secure ports in  Africa. 

He has consequently asked relevant agencies and institutions in the maritime industry to work towards achieving the objectives.

The Director-General was speaking at a five-day workshop on cyber security in ports in Accra.

The workshop, sponsored by the UK Department for Transport, was designed to equip participants with an understanding of threats to ports posed by Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and security measures that can be implemented to protect and respond to UAS threats.

It was also intended to raise delegates’ awareness of the threat of cyberattack, the role of the individual in keeping ports cybersecure and also equipping participants with a framework to produce a cybersecurity assessment and plan.

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.

Commendation

Dr Ali commended the UK Department for Transport and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for their support.

He described as laudable the participation of key state agencies in the country’s security sector to address some of the most serious threats in the cybersecurity space.

The Director-General, however, expressed concern over the fact that the sponsorship had now run its course.

Support

“I convey to you the appreciation of the incoming Minister for Transport and the government of Ghana for the enormous support you give us by building our capacity in many areas,” Dr Ali said.

He said the coming together of the agencies was particularly useful as it created a single platform to deliberate key aspects of security and to fashion ways to deal with threats.

The Director-General urged the participants to take advantage of the training offered them and ensure the benefits were enduring and impactful.