Collins Dauda – Minister of Transport
The Minister for Transport, Collins Dauda has noted that Ghana must take steps to safeguard against the escalating trend of maritime privacy which is threatening states and other international maritime and labour organizations.
“There is no doubt that should Ghana allow the acts of piracy along the Gulf of Guinea to fester, our competitiveness in international trade stands to be unduly affected to our detriment, as insurance premiums for our imports and exports will necessarily rise,” the Minister added.
He noted that the recent attacks off the coasts of Lome and Cotonou have undoubtedly heightened governments concern.
“The Ghana Navy, the Ghana Maritime Authority and other allied agencies under my Ministry are taking all requisite steps to respond swiftly and appropriately to this menace.”
The Minister disclosed this during the opening of the 7th Maritime Seminar for Judges of the Superior Courts in Accra.
He stated that “because growth in Ghana’s economy will lead to increased commercial activity bordering on various facets of international trade and transport we will require the requisite legislation to deal with emerging issues as well as a strong and viable judiciary to adjudicate on international trade and transport transactions which will become commonplace in such a milieu.”
Alhaji Dauda emphasized that “our foreign partners would have to be assured that our judiciary stands capable of handling any disputes arising out of international transactions so that they can confidently accept the jurisdiction of our courts in international transactions when we enter into complex agreements with them.”
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Dr. Kofi Mbiah, said with the increase in international commercial activity including the emerging oil and gas industry, Ghana would need to put in place appropriate structures as well as the necessary legal framework and build capacity to establish Accra as an important centre for arbitration of international commercial disputes in Africa.
“The maritime law seminar for judges should be seen as an appropriate stepping stone towards the building of the requisite capacity for the realization of this objective,” Dr. Mbiah added.
He reiterated the Authority’s commitment to assisting the judiciary so that working with other stakeholders, judicial access either by way of litigation in the formal courts or through arbitration could be quickened and made less burdensome for the benefit of all players involved in international commercial transactions.
The Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Theodora Wood commended the Ghana Shippers’ Authority for its consistency in organizing the seminar for judges to keep them breast with new trends in the maritime law.
By Esther Awuah