Ghana willing to help region restore maritime peace: VP

Vice President of Ghana Mahamudu Bawumia on Tuesday urged African countries to seek new solutions to maintain maritime security.

Bawumia said Ghana had remained an island of peace in the turbulent Gulf of Guinea, where piracy incidents are reputed to be the highest in the world.

He said his country was committed to helping its neighbors also achieve stability as whatever happened in the region had a ripple effect on all neighboring countries.

The vice president was speaking at the third Coastal and Maritime Surveillance Africa Conference and Defense Exhibition in Accra.

The event brought together some of the world's best experts and professionals in maritime security and surveillance to discuss solutions to maritime threats and vulnerabilities.

Ghana's maritime domain has changed significantly in the last few years. Today, the maritime environment has become the cash cow of the country with the discovery of large deposits of hydrocarbons in the offshore areas.

Ghana's Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Peter Kofi Faidoo, said the navy saw the development on the Gulf of Guinea as an opportunity.

"However, we have to remain dynamic and adapt to the changing strategic environment otherwise we risk suffering a strategic drift and becoming largely irrelevant in the scheme of things," he said. Endit