Brest, Feb. 13, GNA- President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has made an urgent appeal to countries the world over “to take decisive actions now” to safeguard the ocean’s capacity to regenerate, and to continue to deliver substantial economic, environmental, and social value for human development.
He said the health of the world’s oceans, inextricably linked to the health of the planet and that of the peoples of the world, faced an existential threat, from pollution and over-exploitation that should immediately be remedied to save humanity.
Speaking on Friday at the One Ocean Summit in Brest, France, at the invitation of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, President Akufo-Addo said saving the ocean, which accounted for 70 percent of the earth’s surface, must remain a priority because “oceans provide food and sustenance, mineral resources, energy, employment and livelihoods, transport and recreation.
“Acting as the lungs of the planet, oceans are responsible for some fifty percent of the oxygen produced on the planet and absorb twenty-five percent of carbon dioxide emissions resulting from human activity,” he said, emphasizing that its careful management was key to a sustainable future for the world.
The President told the gathering that illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing activities had contributed significantly to a decline in fish stocks in Ghana, and, as such, the nation had been compelled to spend some US$200 million annually to import fish to shore up the country’s fish requirements.
He said a National Plan of Action was being implemented to curb the menace of illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing activities in Ghana’s waters.
Components of the Plan include fish catch certification, reactivation and installation of vessel monitoring systems (VMS), automatic identification system (AIS) on vessels, port and beach inspections, and sea patrols.
“We support the principle of a global convention in this area…Together with our neighbours, the Republics of Togo and Benin, a pact has been signed to implement a joint fisheries’ observer programme as part of efforts to ensure that safe, secure, and legal fisheries are maintained across the Gulf of Guinea.
“We are completing work on our Ocean Governance Study and putting in place the requisite structures and processes to ensure that we complete our Sustainable Ocean Plan by 2025, as prescribed by the High-Level Panel on the Ocean Economy on 20th December 2021,” the President said.
At the continental level, President Akufo-Addo said Government was in the process of ratifying the 2012 Cape Town Agreement on Fishing Vessel Safety.
“I am expectant that Ghana will shortly deposit her instrument of accession. This will mark a major milestone in our endeavour to build a sustainable blue economy,” he said,
Ecuador, Germany, Vietnam, and Ghana, with support from the UN Environment Programme, last year, successfully convened the Ministerial Conference on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter in Geneva, Switzerland to address the vexed issue of marine litter and plastic pollution.
The Ministerial Statement on Global Plastics Agreement, an outcome of the Conference, recognised “the need for further commitment and actions across the life cycle of plastics to address marine litter and microplastics, including through a circular economy approach.”
Ghana, President Akufo-Addo reiterated, “shares in the vision of a New Plastics Economy, and will sign onto the initiative.”
He, therefore, urged world leaders to commit to a greater course of action to support the attainment of SDG 14, “which demands that we conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
“Let us all put our hands to the wheel and take up the challenge for the sake of our common humanity.”
