Kweku Ofori Asiamah, the Minister of Transport, speaking at the 15th Congregation of the Regional Maritime University at Nungua, Accra has stated that there are millions of job opportunities in the maritime industry.
In a statement, he averred that Ghana as a coastal country can take advantage of the opportunities of the industry to propel economic growth.
“The opportunities in the maritime industry abound, representing trillions of United States Dollars’ worth of goods and services and millions of jobs. This ranges from sectors such as shipping, logistics, insurance, port management, tourism, fishing and aquaculture just to mention a few.
“The sub-region can tap into the opportunities offered by this new frontier to boost its developments. However, we can only do so if we build capacity to enable the participation of our citizens.”
Kweku Ofori Asiamah
Meanwhile, he stated that Government is rigorously reforming ports operations to bring about efficiency and ease of doing business.
“A number of major infrastructure facelift are currently ongoing at our two (2) major sea ports to respond to the increasing trade volumes.”
Moreover, the minister praised Regional Maritime University and pinpointed it as an important player in the provision of the needed human capital, especially in the training of seafarers and ship manning agents. In retrospection, he noted that couple of years ago, the University collaborated with Bernhard Schulte’s Shipping Management Worldwide that afforded cadets of RMU to gain onboard practical experience on their vessels.
“I am informed that this collaboration has so far led to the recruitment and training of over 700 RMU students.”
“This is in consonance with the Government of Ghana’s vision to train more youth for sea service for export. I therefore want to use this opportunity to commend the Schulte Group and the Management of RMU for the continuous collaboration. Government on its part will continue to provide the needed support and necessary frameworks to scale –up the training of cadets and other skills required for the maritime industry.”
Kweku Ofori Asiamah
He further stated that since the inception of the University in the 1980s, thousands of students from the sub-region have been equipped and prepared for the maritime industry’s job market.
The University, he said epitomizes the kind of regional integration yearned for under the African Union Agenda to tackle the challenges of development of the 21st century.
“It is therefore refreshing to note that the founding member countries of the RMU (then the Regional Maritime Academy) have remained steadfast and very supportive of this institution. As the host country of this institution, I extend our profound gratitude and appreciation to the Member States for this great show of togetherness in pursuit of our collective desire to develop the maritime industry in our respective countries.”
Kweku Ofori Asiamah
Meanwhile he assured the institution that the Government of Ghana has not relinquished its responsibility as the host country of the University but is committed to providing the necessary infrastructure as assented to at the time of regionalization.
“I am pleased to inform you that under the Economic Development Cooperation Framework between the Government of Ghana and Korea, the Regional Maritime University would undergo massive infrastructure facelift and retooling.”
Kweku Ofori Asiamah
He therefore charged countries in Africa to leverage on the maritime industry for collective development of the Continent.
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