Ghana Committed to Boost Sustainable Ocean Economy

On Wednesday, during a two-day National Blue Economy Summit, the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, expressed his country’s commitment to fostering a sustainable blue economy that would advance the wellbeing of all Ghanaian citizens.

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Akufo-Addo emphasized the significance of the ocean as a potential catalyst for facilitating the development of West African countries and enhancing the well-being of its people.

According to Akufo-Addo, in order to ensure the sustainability of the ocean economy, the government has instituted measures such as policy formulation and program development.

"As part of the process, we have initiated the national integrated maritime strategy to allow us to chart viable courses to address maritime threats, conservation and management of marine resources to generate substantial national income and ultimately improve the living standards of our people," Akufo-Addo said.

The president also highlighted that despite a surge in private investment during the previous decade, too little capital is destined towards the blue economy; and emphasized the imperative need of ensuring a higher influx of investments into this emerging sector.

Akufo-Addo referred that the maritime industry and projects with marine-based projects can strongly benefit from the implementation of public-private partnerships, which can attract significant amounts of private investment.

The summit, which focused on the theme of "our ocean's health, our prosperity, our planet's security", was organized through a joint collaboration between the Ghanaian government's sustainable development goals advisory unit and the United Nations Development Program; both local and international stakeholders participated in the event.