STORY: Gulf of Guinea states agree to form combined force to boost maritime security
DATELINE: Sept. 2, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:19
LOCATION: Accra
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of ports and harbors  (territorial waters)
2. SOUNDBITE (English): ISSAH ADAM YAKUBU, Chief of naval staff of the Ghana Navy
3. various of officials at the exhibition
5. various of the exhibition

STORYLINE:

Countries along the Gulf of Guinea coast have agreed to establish a combined military force to boost the monitoring and protection of the maritime territory, a Ghanaian official said Wednesday.

Issah Adam Yakubu, chief of naval staff of the Ghana Navy, made the remarks in an interview during the third International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEC) in Accra, the capital of Ghana.

SOUNDBITE (English): ISSAH ADAM YAKUBU, Chief of naval staff of the Ghana Navy
"We have also agreed, particularly in the Gulf of Guinea, to do the combined maritime task force, and then information sharing where we can do coordinated patrols to ensure that our waters are safe to protect the huge investments we have in the oceans."

Kofi Amankwa-Manu, Ghana's deputy defense minister, lauded the many good ideas proposed during the conference, saying that if executed, they could significantly promote a safe and secure maritime domain for the blue economy of Ghana and the entire Gulf of Guinea to thrive.

The two-day IMDEC, which concluded on Wednesday, sought to take stock of law enforcement activities in the gulf over the past year and develop strategies for future protection of the maritime domain.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Accra.
(XHTV)