The coordination between the multitude of actors and agencies involved in maritime security continues to be one of the main challenges for tackling the diverse form of blue crime. This is one of the key questions that the Analyzing Maritime Insecurity in Ghana (AMARIS) project is trying to address.
How do actors within Ghana’s maritime security governance framework relate to each other? This question was at the heart of an event organized by the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa (CEMLAWS Africa) – on of the key research partners of AMARIS. The event was held on 29 April 2021 in Accra.
The event brought together important stakeholders in Ghana’s maritime governance framework. These included representatives from ministries, such as Transport, Defence, and Fisheries and Aquaculture Development; and agencies, such as Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Navy and Fisheries Commission. The aim of the workshop was not only to gain insights into interagency coordination among actors in Ghana’s ocean governance and maritime security, but also to learn more about the relations between the various stakeholders in this domain, identify convergences and divergences, provide insights into how coordination takes place in practice and how tensions are dealt with. Additionally, the event was aimed at steering the discussion about roles and mandates, and how to improve interagency cooperation within Ghana’s maritime security sector.
The day was colored with lively debates between the participants. The dialogues centered around the roles of agencies and actors within Ghana’s maritime security environment, but also on the question whether staff within the various institutions were aware of the role and place of their organizations within Ghana’s maritime governance infrastructure. In short, the event was aimed at gaining information that will provide a useful baseline for attaining a better understanding of the key challenges for enhancing interagency coordination among Ghana’s maritime institutions.
Read more about the AMARIS project and CEMLAWS.
