President John Dramani Mahama has formally applied for Ghana to join the Gulf of Guinea Commission, as a full member state.
A statement issued from the Presidency and copied to the Ghana News Agency said, the President put in the application at a meeting of Heads of States of the Gulf of Guinea Commission in Malabo, Equitorial Guinea.
It stated that Ghana has always attended meetings of the Commission including the June 2013 Summit on Maritime Security as an Observer and has shown interest and commitment to becoming a member.
It recognised that the invitation of Ghana to attend previous meetings of the Commission, had widened the country’s perspective on the security situation in the gulf region.
The statement said the President charged his colleagues to intensify collaboration to effectively respond to threats along the gulf, explaining that the consequences of inaction can be dire on the economies of the various countries and on the lives of the people.
“ Piracy, drug trafficking, unreported and unregulated fishing, marine pollution, armed robbery of ships and disputes over maritime boundaries are real threats, and your excellences, we need concerted efforts to effectively address them,” President Mahama noted.
It said Ghana has begun the retooling and restructuring of its marine-related agencies including the provision of new ships for the navy, surveillance aircraft for the air force, a new marine police unit among others.