Tullow Ghana Limited is to collaborate with the Ghana Navy to promote appropriate maritime environment conducive to the peaceful and profitable development of Ghana's petrochemical endowment. According to Head of Tullow Ghana Legal Department, Mr Tony Dzokoto, the Ghana Navy's maintenance of an ambience of maritime peace in the past should be viewed by Ghanaians as a key stimulus to the country's success in exploration, discovery and the development of oil. He revealed this in Kumasi at the weekend, when he delivered a goodwill message on behalf of the company, at a public sensitization lecture as part of activities marking the Ghana Navy's 50th anniversary. Mr Dzokoto asked: "How much offshore exploration and discoveries could we have had in Ghana if our maritime environment is characterized by widespread insecurity or an embattled coastline?" He also urged Ghanaians to appreciate the strategic importance of the national navy as a maritime security institution. Mr Dzokoto described the Ghana Navy as one of Tullow's most valued partners in the company's development operations, adding, the corporate entity looks beyond the Navy's traditionally mandated business of protecting the country's territorial integrity and respects its invaluable contributions to peaceful socio-economic activities like fisheries, maritime policing and general maritime safety and security. The lecture also focused on the urgent need to enhance the Navy's capacity and capabilities as well as the possible areas of collaboration with stakeholders in Ghana's emerging oil industry. Speaking on the theme: "Ghana Navy at 50: Enhancing Maritime Security for Socio-economic Development," Naval Captain Eshun elaborated the dwindling fortunes of the Ghana Navy in terms of its fleet and logistical standing. He stressed that despite the serious handicap, the Navy has for the past two decades dutifully and magically performed its constitutional duties, including international peace support operations, to the admiration of many in the maritime industry. The naval captain noted the discovery of oil in Ghana has introduced far more complex responsibilities and challenges for the Ghana Navy, among which, he said are the need to deal with the threat of criminal activities like illegal bunkering and stealing of oil, accidents at sea and negative activities such as environmental pollution, hijacking, armed robbery at sea, fires on ships and on oil rigs and the need to control interference by fishermen with drilling activities. Captain Eshun said one other good thing about the discovery of oil in Ghana has been the sudden realization by policy makers and the general population the Navy’s importance, hence, the need to be adequately equipped and motivated. He expressed appreciation that some practical efforts are being made to expand the Navy’s fleet of vessels and the development of some of its abandoned naval infrastructure such as the Slipway and Test Bench projects located at the Sekondi Naval Base. In order to boost the Ghana Navy's capability to address maritime security concerns, Captain Eshun recommended the immediate establishment of a maritime security master-plan, which would entail the establishment of a well structured financial fund, under the auspices of the Presidency into which all commercial operators should make some contributions. Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, who was special guest at the lecture, noted it is time Ghanaians realized that the actual worth of any military force like the Navy is not necessarily the value of its physical production levels, but rather the huge cost to the nation if such a force did not exist. Source: GNA