Journalists and media practitioners from across Ghana have been equipped with vital skills to enhance their coverage of maritime security, safety, and the blue economy in the Gulf of Guinea.
The three-day training, held in Accra from October 4 to 6, 2025, was organised by the Enhanced Maritime Action in the Gulf of Guinea (EnMAR) in collaboration with the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute (GoGMI), with support from Expertise France.
The initiative sought to strengthen journalists’ capacity to communicate complex maritime issues, promote transparency, and deepen public understanding of the maritime domain, a sector crucial to regional stability and economic growth.
Emmanuelle Lécuyer, Public Diplomacy and Visibility Expert for EnMAR, opened the training by emphasizing the media’s pivotal role in fostering maritime security and sustainable development. She explained that the EnMAR project, implemented by Expertise France and funded by the European Union, supports the EU Maritime Security Strategy, first adopted in 2014 and updated in 2022.
“The Gulf of Guinea continues to face evolving threats, from drug trafficking to illegal fishing and marine pollution,” she said. “Accurate, independent reporting is essential to shaping informed policy and public engagement.”
President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, urged journalists to use their platforms to influence public discourse and policy action in the maritime sector.
He announced the revival of the GJA’s Maritime Reporting Award, aimed at motivating journalists to spotlight stories about Ghana’s oceans, ports, and coastal livelihoods.
“The maritime industry is a vital pillar of national development,” he said. “This award will celebrate excellence and inspire greater media focus on the blue economy.”
Retired Air Vice Marshal Frank Hanson warned against what he described as Africa’s “sea blindness”, the tendency to overlook maritime issues despite their strategic importance. “The Gulf of Guinea is Africa’s Wall Street, IMF, and World Bank combined,” he declared. “Journalists must bridge these hidden realities with public consciousness.”
Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Godwin Livinus Bessing, called for stronger media advocacy for investment in Ghana’s naval capacity, revealing that the country loses about US$200 million annually to illegal fishing and maritime crimes.
“Many of these threats remain invisible because they happen beyond the coastline,” he noted. “When the media sustains coverage, governments listen,” he added.
The training featured a field visit to Tema Port, where participants gained firsthand insights into port operations and the economic potential of Ghana’s maritime domain.
By Theresa Kpordzo
