The Deputy Minister for Transport, Hon. Dorcas Affo-Toffey, has disclosed that Ghana is taking a significant step towards decarbonising its maritime industry with the commencement of a pre-feasibility study for "Green Shipping Corridors", an initiative that is a pivotal part of the nation's climate action commitments.
According to her, the country's unwavering commitment to climate change mitigation, guided by its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, is further signalled by the creation of a Ministry for "Energy and Green Transition" and a dedicated Minister for "Climate Change and Sustainability" under the administration of His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama.
Hon. Dorcas Affo-Toffey acknowledged the potential economic burdens and implementation challenges of decarbonisation, particularly for developing nations such as Ghana that have not historically contributed to the global climate crisis. She expressed concern that these measures could adversely affect GDP, food security, trade, and consumer prices, and reiterated the call for mitigating these impacts to ensure a just transition within the maritime industry.
She believed that Ghana's strategic location along the Gulf of Guinea and its robust port infrastructure at Tema and Takoradi uniquely position the country to not only reduce the risks of this transition but also to unlock opportunities for inclusive national development.
The Deputy Minister underscored that green shipping corridors are a transformative commitment to "reimagine how we move goods, connect nations, and protect our planet," as Ghana joins more than fifty similar global projects by beginning a crucial pre-feasibility study.
She disclosed that, recognising the capital-intensive nature of these projects, the government is committed to providing the necessary policy and regulatory frameworks and actively exploring sustainable financing models, while the ports of Tema and Takoradi are already planning investments in shore power infrastructure, digital traffic management systems, and modernisation to accommodate low-emission vessels.
The Ghana Maritime Authority, under the Ministry's oversight, is actively collaborating with various state actors to align national maritime strategies with international sustainability goals, in line with the International Maritime Organisation's decarbonisation roadmap.
