The Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Bawumia has opened the 2nd Edition of the International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference today in Accra with a call on all stakeholders, especially players in the maritime industry, to work closely together to combat the surge in piracy attacks and increasing cases of Kidnapping for Ransom.
Dr Bawumia explained that statistics indicate there was a 34% increase in actual and attempted pirate attacks in 2020 in the Gulf of Guinea, as well as a rise in the number of cases of Kidnapping for Ransom and hostage-taking.
He said, in the year 2020, 130 out of 135 persons kidnapped globally were reportedly abducted in the Gulf of Guinea alone as a result Government is determined to modernize and re-equip the Ghana Navy and other sectors of the Ghana Armed Forces as well as key stakeholders to scale up their level of readiness to face the growing challenge.