Military Ready To Defend Ghana’s Waters

Government is upbeat about the state of readiness of the Ghana Armed Forces to protect the country’s territorial waters ahead of the oil extraction expected to commence by the last quarter of the year.
The Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. J.H Smith, said the military was ready, with its strategic plans to ensure the safety of the country’s oil deposits.

The Defence Minister said as part of security measures, government would acquire 10 vessels for the navy as a short term plan to ward off unexpected trouble makers from the country’s territorial waters, adding that the first of the ten vessels was expected in the country by September, to be followed by four fast patrol vessels by June next year.

He said the Navy currently had six vessels which were more than 35 years old, underscoring the need for new ones to ensure that it was well resourced to effectively guard the country’s marine waters.
He said training arrangements had been lined up for personnel of the navy to build their capacities in the handling of the vessels.

Gen. Smith’s assurance follows concerns expressed in some circles about the state of readiness of the Ghana Armed Forces to ensure the security of the country’s territorial waters in the wake of the oil find.

He was speaking to newsmen in Accra on Friday after the visiting South Korean Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Park Young June, called on him to discuss the STX housing project for the GAF.

Their discussion also touched on cooperation between Ghana and South Korea for the supply of vessels and equipment for the Ghana Navy.
The housing project is expected to provide about 10,000 housing units for GAF to address accommodation challenges confronting personnel.

Mr. June expressed South Korea’s commitment to assisting Ghana with the necessary security equipment to protect its oil fields, stressing that co-operation in that regard was critical to ensuring a vibrant oil sector. He said the housing project would ensure comfortable accommodation for the security forces.

He said South Korea had a track record of providing accommodation for its 600,000 military personnel and had built 2,000,000 houses in five years to meet the country’s housing deficit.

Source: The Ghanaian Times/Ghana