Gov’t should revamp the national shipping company-group

A group calling itself the “Maritime Professionals Club” (MPC) has called on government to as a matter of urgency take the necessary steps needed to see to it that the national shipping line and the dry dock are revamped in order to see Ghana achieve the betterment of the marine sector including the full realization of its socio-economic benefits.
 A couple of decades ago, the country used to own its own vessels through the national shipping line known as the Black Star Line (BSL).  The BSL owned lots of vessels that embarked upon regular sailing schedules around the world.

In the late 70’s the BSL owned some of the top 16000 tonner vessels that marshaled export commodities like cocoa from those big silos around the Tema port to be exported to other countries. Vessels like Keta, Tano, Sissili and the Volta flew the national flag and carried with it the identity and pride of the nation to which ever port they called.

The Black Star Line however couldn’t stand the test of time due to what some experts believed to be the results of poor leadership coupled with corruption and poor corporate governance robbing the once enviable shipping line of its pride.

The wanton demise of the national shipping line, the sale of the state fishing corporation, the Tema dry dock over the years has brought untold hardship to many Ghanaian fisher folks and a colossal loss to the country out of economic benefits accruing from the maritime sector.

Ever since the collapse of the national shipping line, with the sale of its ships and assets and its office complex taken over by freight forwarders whiles its staff integrated themselves as much as they can with the other sectors of the shipping industry, no government has made any effort to revamp the national shipping line irrespective of the enormous benefits it would bring to the country.
But President John Mahama in the recently launched 2016 NDC’s Manifesto promised to revamp the National Shipping Line when retained in power come January 7 to further position Ghana in the World Maritime Industry.

According to the MPC: “Our appeal to government is that the desire should translate to a mission with a vision to achieve the ultimate for the betterment of the maritime sector in Ghana and the realization of the socio-economic benefits it brings”
The group said for gov’t to achieve its dream, it will require enactment of  policies as well as adopt right strategies aimed at redirecting and enhancing the total development of all resources in the maritime industry.  Furthermore, it must ensure that policy framework is in place aimed at creating the enabling environment for private sector participation in quest to revamp the national shipping line and Tema dry dock and by extension other dormant institutions relevant to improving the maritime sector in Ghana.

Speaking at press conference held on Wednesday October 12, 2016, 1st Vice President of the group, Ing. Teddy Mensah appealed to Government to ensure inclusion of and participation of qualified and experienced maritime professionals in policy formulation, technical coordination, operational and managerial roles to enhance knowledge based hands on operation.

The news conference was to remind government and politicians going into the December general elections of the need to prioritize investment in maritime infrastructure when voted into power.

According to Engineer Teddy Mensah, achieving the desired objectives which will translate into improvement of the maritime sector and lifting up the flag of Ghana at home and abroad will require strategic corporation and development of several organizations like the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), the Regional Maritime University, Tema Drydock Limited, Ministry of transport and its allies. 

He therefore called on the above institutions as well as other well-meaning professional bodies in the maritime industry to partner with gov’t to see to the early revamping of the BSL.

The Maritime Professionals Club is made up of group of Ghanaian experts operating in various capacities within the marine industry in Ghana and across the globe.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR MORE NEWS: 

http://awakeafrica.com/govt-revamp-national-shipping-company-group/ 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Photo of a man with amazingly ‘super head’ causes a stir on social media

Image
Many eyes have seen it but are yet to believe. To those who are convinced that God's creature exits on earth with such a weird shape of head have been left totally flabbergasted and worried too.That is human nature; doubting Thomases everywhere. A man whose photo has been making rounds on social media platforms has been the one in the centre of a huge controversy that rendered onlookers astounded and divided. The photograph in question has really created a scene that is of comic relief and over-sensational. The problem per se is not about his facial appearance but borders specifically on the 'caricature' shape of his head coupled with his jaw-jutting chin which has become the point of attraction at all cost.  It appears no amount of words could best describe the shape of his 'Hill-Valley-Hill Head' which looks very sparkling without hairs on it.  But some social media users who caught sight of the photograph have been reacting with varying
Read more

Why Ghana must prioritise establishment of Public Health Emergency Fund to support healthcare delivery

Image
  People and the diseases they carry can be easily transmitted to any location in a matter of hours since we live in a linked, globalized society. Infectious illness epidemics are becoming more common, particularly in developing nations, where they have severe effects on people's health, social conditions, and economies. An epidemic is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of hosts in a given population within a short period of time. Being no respecter of person, an epidemic disease can affect both young and old of the society. The world since its creation has encountered several kinds of epidemics which have claimed many lives and caused great devastations to nations of the world. In the last century for instance, the world has been hit by six (6) different kinds of epidemics with devastating results on its economy, people’s health and social conditions. Between 1918-1922, Russia was unfortunate to have been hit hard by Typhus, (a fever caused by bacteria that are spread t
Read more

Video: Saving lives, contributing to achieving SDGs; the success story of Human Rights Reporters Ghana

Image
  In a bid to help end the kidnappings as well as the burgeoning human rights and social issues in Ghana and beyond, the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) in 2019 embarked on a ‘Nationwide Sensitization Campaign on Kidnapping, Teenage, Pregnancy and Tramadol/Drug Abuse’ (KTT). The campaign, popularly known as the ‘KTT Project’, focused on addressing issues of kidnapping, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse but equally set about creating a deeper education on human rights to bring about a cultural change. The ‘messiah initiative’ which saw a dedicated team of young volunteers in communities, schools and religious settings within three regions of the country managed to reach over 60,000 Ghanaians over two years sensitizing them on the most pressing and critical and social issues Ghana is facing.   HRRG team of volunteers The HRRG is a non-governmental organization (NGO) which brings together journalists, news editors, human rights activists, advocates, defenders and lawyers to advan
Read more