Ghana Maritime Authority Commits to Comprehensive Seafarer Development to Drive Economic Growth
The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) is charting a new course for the nation’s maritime workforce with the establishment of a dedicated committee to formulate a comprehensive National Seafarer Development Programme Strategy.
The initiative, which is a key priority for the central government in addressing youth employment, aims to elevate the quality of seafarer training and development, transforming it into a powerful tool for poverty alleviation and foreign exchange generation.
The 12-member Committee, chaired by the Acting Director of Planning, Monitoring & Evaluation at the GMA, Dr Richard Lartey, is expected to develop a comprehensive and implementable National Seafarer Development Programme (NSDP) that will serve as Ghana’s official framework for seafarer training, deployment, welfare, and international labour market access.
The Committee is also expected to harmonize recommendations with ongoing GMA initiatives on cadetship, certification, and digital credential systems, as well as institutional and governance arrangements for NSDP implementation. The Committee, which has five weeks to present its report to the Director General of the GMA, is also expected to validate the financial and human resource implications and ensure their alignment with GMA’s strategic plan.
Quality and National Significance
Speaking during the inaugural meeting of the National Seafarer Development Programme Strategy Committee, the Deputy Director General (DDG) of the GMA, Mubarick Masawudu, highlighted the long-standing commitment to this goal. According to him, it has become necessary to tap into the training and development of seafarers as a tool for advancing the growth of the maritime sector, while contributing Ghana’s quota to the global maritime labour market.
The GMA, Mr Masawudu noted, is already receiving “very positive feedbacks from shipowners,” which, while reassuring, he said, “places a burden on the Authority to pitch quality and make sure that there is a proper plan that is worth implementing”.
The DDG also stressed the national significance of the programme, particularly in relation to “youth employment,” and emphasized the government’s desire for a “proper programme and not a piecemeal” approach. “There must be something comprehensive,” he insisted, tasking the Committee to build upon past efforts.
Global Models Cited
Mr Masawudu pointed to the success of other nations that have leveraged seafarer programmes “as a tool to lift people out of poverty, raise jobs, and engage young people in bringing on foreign exchange.”
He cited the example of Ethiopia, which has assigned $8 million to its seafarer programme, detailing how cadets are trained and seatime secured, demonstrating a commitment to structured development that Ghana aims to replicate.
Dedicated Unit for Implementation
The Authority is preparing for the ambitious rollout of the strategy. Mr Masawudu previously announced that, soon, the GMA shall be having a full-fledged unit dedicated to seafarer development and promotion with the mandate to implement the provisions of the blueprint.
Source : GMA
