Sri Lanka to share expertise with Ghana in maritime security
Vice President Kwesi Bekoe Amissah Arthur has reiterated the determination of the Government of Ghana to protect its waters from invasion and piracy especially in the wake of Ghana’s oil find.
He said the Government had already established Police Marine Unit to patrol the nation’s coasts and waters, and is further seeking the support of other countries which have the expertise in checking piracy to assist Ghana in dealing with sea brigands.
“It … therefore become incumbent for us to properly police our coast to ward off pirates; and in order to do that we must solicit the support of other countries like yours which has the expertise in that field to help us,” the Vice-President said, in a chat with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaska, in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.
The meeting with President Rajapaska was on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting (CHOGM).
The Vice President said piracy had assumed sophistication and that explained why the Government had deemed it expedient to liaise with countries like Sri Lanka which had dealt with the issue for three decades to seek its expertise.
Vice President Amissah-Arthur said Ghana would also seek the experience of Sri Lanka in the tourist industry.
He said Ghana boasted of massive tourist attractions both natural and historical which could be harnessed using the experiences of other countries like Sri Lanka.
The Vice-President thanked the Sri Lankan President for sending to Ghana a high powered government delegation when the late President John Atta Mills passed away.
Mr Rajapaksa thanked Ghana for attending CHOGM and said Sri Lanka would soon open a mission in Accra to help deepen relations between the two countries.
He said his country was prepared to train Ghanaian personnel in maritime security as well as in the tourist industry.
Source: GNA
I had requested for a meeting with the Representatives at the CHOGM 2013 conference by the private citizens of Sri Lanka who were ready to start investing in Ghana. Unfotunately NO response from the Ghana Government and even from the Commonwealth Secretariat in U.K.
We need to create a joint venture between the two countries and to havea sister city named in order to have bilateral coorporation between Ghana and SriLanka.