I’ll retool Navy to fight High Seas crimes –Prez

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has given the assurance of the willingness of the government to build the human resource capacity of the Ghana Armed Forces, particularly the Navy, with the aim of providing the best maritime academy for the sub-region in Ghana.

He was speaking at Agorta Nutekpor, where he commissioned the Naval Training Command, which, he said, would be developed to become a center of excellent training in modern skills that would enable the personnel to meet the security needs of the times.

Nana Akufo-Addo said the government was very much committed to investing in the personnel of the security agencies, with emphasis on enhancing the human resource capacity of the Navy to be able to deal with the increasing number of cases on the High Seas.

The President noted that the threats and criminal activities, including terrorists on high seas, called for effective training of personnel of the navy to enable them deal with the criminal activities.

According to President Akufo-Addo, the criminal activities on high seas did not only pose a threat to the development of Ghana alone, but also to other countries in the region. He stressed that the government would do everything possible to deal with the situation, through capacity building of personnel of the armed forces, including navy personnel.

Nana Akufo-Addo hinted that the government was in the process of acquiring 250 acres of land to be used as training grounds for shooting outside the naval command base, adding that the newly commissioned naval command would also serve as special training center for other security agencies in the country.

The President observed that the oil discovered by former President J.A. Kufuor had created numerous job opportunities in the country, but had come with its related criminal activities. In view of this, the government would retool the navy to be able to stand the test of time in handling sea-related criminal activities.

The President commended the Awuitor Family for releasing the 114 acres of land for the establishment of the naval command, stressing that the medical center, which forms part of the second phase of the project, would be open to the surrounding communities to help them address their health needs.

The Minister of Defence, Mr. Dominic Ntiwul, noted that his outfit identified peace as a prerequisite for development, therefore, it proposed to the President to invest in the human capacity building of the armed forces, which culminated in the establishment of the newly-commissioned naval command.

The Minister disclosed that part of the internally generated funds was committed into the project, and thanked Nana Akufo-Addo for his visionary leadership, which was helping to build the human capacity of personnel within the armed forces over the years.

Mr. Ntiwul stressed that the investment the government had made so far in human resource capacity building had made personnel of the forces ready to meet any security challenges.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Real Admiral Seth Amoana, said the first phase of the project includes a mosque, a medical center, library, trainees’ accommodation block, recruit training school, command headquarters, and school of maritime operations.

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