Investing in the Navy, one step ahead of marine criminals

Regional news for Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Source: GNA

2020-10-21

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said on Tuesday that investment in the Ghana Navy and other security agencies under his supervision would put the institution one step ahead of syndicated crimes associated with the oil and gas industry.

He said that serious crimes such as piracy, armed robbery, fueling and terrorism, which constituted transnational crimes, made the Ghana Navy more relevant through skills training.

President Akufo-Addo said this during the commissioning of the Naval Training Command at Nutekpor in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region as part of his one-day working tour of the region.

The Command, which is located on a 114-acre site, has a first phase that includes; a naval training command headquarters, marine operations school, student and instructor accommodation, medical center, training school administration, library and mosque.

He said the implication of the nation’s devastating crimes required human resource skills and cunning to contain and that the Command would leverage to instill the Navy’s core values, which are loyalty, devotion and excellence.

The president said it is believed that “we will take advantage of technology and new training methods to enhance greater training and efficiency.”

The second phase of the project would include; Marine and electrical engineering school, applied application school, Special Forces training school, diving school, shooting range and barracks accommodation.

He said that the government and its partners would contribute to the commissioning of the facility. President Akufo-Addo praised the support of the Agave Traditional Area, the Nutekpor Chiefs for showing tenacity of purpose for the plot of land for the Command and thanked the contractors for the excellent work done and hoped their collective aspirations would be met under its Commander, Maxwell Arhen RPT Arhen.

Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul said that human resource development depends on education, which makes investment in upper secondary education more relevant.

He said that the professionalism of the security forces was based mainly on their regiment training modules and training schemes that allowed them to excel and added that it would become a Center of Excellence and its medical center open to the traditional area.

Nitiwul said the government’s investments in the security sector were unprecedented and unrivaled in successive governments.

Rear Admiral Seth Amoama, Naval Chief of Staff, said that the discoveries of hydrocarbons in commercial quantities informed the upgrade of the training modules for the Ghana Navy to position them according to international standards to combat criminals, who were taking advantage of the sector.
Other duty commanders were present.

The president also inaugurated the 60-bed Ketu North hospital at a cost of € 14.5 million.