Dignitaries In a group photo after the opening
Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah has opened the first green shipping conference in Accra.
The two-day meeting organised by the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) in partnership with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the Danish Maritime Authority shed light on how the industry can transition to cleaner sources of energy.
The conference was on the theme, “Unlocking Opportunities for Green Shipping in Africa.”
Mr. Asiamah said, climate change had become one of the biggest challenges facing humanity stressing the urgent need to rapidly transform energy systems to be more secure, reliable, and resilient, by accelerating clean and just transitions to renewable energy.
He said the shipping sector alone, emits 2-3 per cent of the annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) with most ships in operation currently being powered by fossil fuels.
“There is an urgent need to apply measures that will facilitate shipping transitions and reduce emissions particularly, regulatory interventions to encourage the production of alternative low- and zero- carbon fuels for shipping and the related necessary expansion of renewable energy production as well as support first movers,” he added.
Mr. Asiamah appealed to the IMO to prioritize financial supports to developing and island countries to be able to build the necessary green infrastructure and contribute to the fight against climate change.
Secretary-General of the IMO, Kitack Lim, said the IMO would show global leadership towards efforts to decarbonise shipping by leading the way and providing a global framework for the maritime industry to strive for green shipping with the involvement of all member states.
“At IMO, we are committed to examining and addressing the impact of the measures we adopt to achieve this end. With this in mind, we are also committed to supporting Member States to unlock the potential that green shipping presents,” he added.
Mr. Lim said IMO Member States were currently engaged in the process of revising the Initial IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships, which was adopted in 2018.
The Director-General of GMA, Thomas Kofi Alonsi, said, Africa has the potential to be a major ship energy source as the continent has vast and untapped renewable resources that position it to benefit from the Green Transition and Maritime Decarbonization.
This, he said, underscored the recognition of the Green Transition Agenda by African countries resulting in the ratification of the Paris Agreement to build climate resilient and low-carbon economies.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri