Seafarers in Tema have called on President John Dramani Mahama to urgently overhaul the leadership of key maritime institutions, blaming incompetence and mismanagement for rising unemployment in the sector.
At a press conference in Tema, the Concerned Seafarers Association of Ghana petitioned the president to dismiss current directors of major maritime bodies, including the Ghana Maritime Authority and Tema Shipyard, citing their failure to address industry challenges. They argued that replacing them with competent professionals would be crucial to realizing the government’s vision of a 24-hour maritime economy.
Speaking at the event, senior association member Michael Teye Topey lamented the high cost of documentation renewals and the scarcity of job opportunities for Ghanaian seafarers, despite their extensive training and skills.
“We have highly qualified seafarers, yet many remain jobless because of systemic inefficiencies and high bureaucratic costs. The situation is unacceptable, and we need urgent reforms,” he stated.
Association president Captain Thomas Eklu expressed optimism about President Mahama’s maritime policy but stressed that its success depended on competent leadership.
“The 24-hour maritime economy policy has the potential to boost national revenue and create jobs, but it will fail unless decisive action is taken to restructure the sector and remove ineffective leaders,” he asserted.
Some unemployed seafarers, who have spent significant amounts on license renewals and documentation fees, also voiced their frustration over the lack of job placements.
They urged the government to take immediate action to reform the sector, warning that continued neglect would further cripple Ghana’s maritime industry.
The association has vowed to keep pushing for leadership changes until concrete steps are taken to address their concerns.
As pressure mounts, the maritime sector’s future now rests on whether the government will heed the seafarers’ demands for urgent reforms.
