Investing In the Navy makes them a step ahead Of Marine Criminals – President Akuffo Addo

H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has said on Tuesday that, investment in the Ghana Navy and other security agencies under his watch would place these institutions one-step ahead of syndicated crimes associated with the oil and gas industry.

He indicated that, the Ghana Navy is more relevant through skills training due to the high crimes such as piracy, armed robbery, oil bunkering, and terrorism, all of which constituted transnational crimes.

The president made this known 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 Naval Training Command, which is sited on a-114-acre land has a first phase which includes;  a Naval training command headquarters, school of marine operations, student and instructors’ accommodation, medical centre, training school administration, library and Mosque.

The president also noted that, the implication of the nation-wrecking crimes demanded skills and human resource astuteness to contain and the Command would leverage on instilling the core values of Navy, being loyalty, devotion and excellence.

President said it is believed “we shall leverage technology and new training methods to enhance greater training and efficiency.”

He then confirmed that, the second phase of project would include; school of marine and electrical engineering, school of applied application, Special Forces training school, diving school, shooting range and barracks accommodation.

He said government and its partners would contribute to the operationalization of the facility.
President Akufo-Addo commended the Nutekpor Chiefs and the Agave Traditional Council,  for their show of support by releasing the parcel of land for the Command. The president also thanked the contractors for an excellent good job done and hoped their collective aspirations would be met under its Commander, Maxwell Arhen RPT Arhen.

Minister of Defence, Mr Dominic Nitiwul, who was also present at the ceremony, stressed that, human resource development hinged on education, which made investment in the Senior High School education most relevant.

He said the professionalism of the security forces, was primarily based on its regiment training modules and training schemes that enabled them to excel adding that it would become a Centre of Excellence and its medical centre opened to the traditional area.

Mr Nitiwul said government’s investments in the security sector was unprecedented and unrivalled by successive governments.

Rear Admiral Seth Amoama, Chief of Naval Staff said the discoveries of hydrocarbons in commercial quantities informed the upgrading of training modules for the Ghana Navy towards positioning them to international standards to combat criminals, who were taking advantage of the sector.

The President also took turns to inaugurate a Ketu North 60-bed capacity hospital at a cost of 14.5 million Euros.