A five day intensive course on Maritime Security Reporting, has opened in Takoradi for 20 journalists and other professionals from the security agencies.
The course, organised by the Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, would equip the participants with right information on happenings in the Maritime sector, particularly the Gulf of Ghana and on how the media would be tooled to turn out effective communications for informed public and state actors actions.
The hope was to create a just reporting regime in the states along the Gulf of Guinea.
The participants would be taken through technicalities in the sector, where to source for information and the blue Economy and Maritime Security to enhance the knowledge base and skillsets of media and maritime security professionals, to effectively contribute to the attainment of maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
Other informative sessions would include, Policy and Legal Frameworks on Maritime Security, Media and Maritime Security, Information Management in Maritime Security, Law and Ethics in Maritime Security Reporting, Coastal Communities and Maritime Security, Gender, Livelihoods and Maritime Security, Collaboration and Cooperation among maritime security stakeholders, among others.
Mr. Tom Norring, Danish Ambassador to Ghana during the opening of the Workshop, said since the emergence of maritime criminality in the Gulf of Guinea, various interventions had been adopted by actors to suppress crimes like piracy and armed robbery at sea; illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, trafficking of drugs and weapons.
“These interventions have mainly focused on support for legal and policy frameworks, capacity building for maritime law enforcement agencies as well as support to national inter-agency and international cooperation to detect, investigate and prosecute maritime crimes,” he said.
Mr. Norring said given the complexity of maritime crimes and high likelihood of false information in that area, it was prudent that the Journalists were enlightened to play the role of public education more efficiently.
“We hope this training will enhance media practitioners capacity to; raise awareness about maritime crimes and educate the public about the severity and implication of these crimes, provide accurate and timely maritime reporting to help dispel misconception and counter misinformation about maritime crimes and maritime security efforts.”
The Ambassador expressed the belief that it was responsible and skilled journalism that would inspire action, shape public opinion and work towards a safer and more secure maritime environment.
Major General Richard Addo Gyane, Commandants at KAIPTC, said the course was a pilot one as part of a five-year project on Integrated Responses to Threats to Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea Maritime (GoG) Domain in West and Central Africa, funded by the Government of Denmark.
The goal was to create a forum for Gulf of Guinea maritime stakeholders to better comprehend the maritime security landscape, increase collaboration, cooperation and coordination, as well as pool individual and collective resources in efforts to promote maritime security in that domain.
He noted that the challenges facing the maritime domain in the Region were diverse and complex, ranging from illicit oil bunkering, illegal, trafficking of drugs, weapons, and humans, smuggling of contraband goods, and various environmental crimes.
“Notwithstanding, our maritime domain has seen an array of interventions at various levels that seeks to address these insecurities with the hope of improving maritime security generally,” he added.
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