Ghana has unveiled an ambitious strategy to expand its maritime workforce and secure more international berthing opportunities for its cadets, targeting a nearly fourfold increase in the country’s registered seafarers and an estimated US$360 million in annual foreign exchange earnings from remittances by 2036.
The initiative, presented at the International Maritime Employers’ Council (IMEC) conference in Southampton, United Kingdom, forms part of the National Seafarer Development and Placement Programme (NSDPP), a cross-government effort designed to position Ghana as a competitive supplier of maritime labour to the global shipping industry.
Addressing global shipowners, crew managers, and policymakers at the conference, Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Mubarick Masawudu, said the programme aims to grow Ghana’s registered seafarer population from approximately 5,500 currently to 20,000 within the next decade.
At that scale, he noted, annual foreign exchange inflows from seafarer remittances are “conservatively estimated” at US$360 million, emphasizing the sector’s potential contribution to employment creation and national economic development.
Masawudu said the NSDPP represents a deliberate shift from merely training seafarers to strategically positioning them for global opportunities through coordinated government intervention involving the ministries responsible for Transport, Education, Youth Development, Foreign Affairs and Finance.
A central component of the programme is addressing one of the industry’s most persistent barriers to career progression: access to sea-time experience.
Recognising the lack of berthing opportunities as a major challenge, he said the initiative is designed to secure “guaranteed sea-time placements” through direct partnerships with shipowners, operators and crew management firms.
The programme also seeks to diversify Ghana’s participation beyond conventional deck and engine roles by targeting growing demand for technical and hospitality personnel aboard passenger vessels, including electricians, plumbers, carpenters, cooks and waiters.
Speaking on the panel discussion themed “Is Africa the Next Frontier for Seafarers?”, Masawudu urged international employers to look beyond traditional recruitment markets and tap into Ghana’s expanding pool of maritime talent.
He argued that Ghanaian professionals are already demonstrating their capabilities through longstanding engagements with major operators, including Pacific International Lines (PIL), Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement (BSM) and Hafnia, some of which have established dedicated training facilities in Ghana.
According to him, Ghana’s maritime training approach combines rigorous academic instruction with a “paramilitary-style” culture of discipline that prepares seafarers to meet the operational demands of international shipping companies.
The country’s training framework, he said, is regulated under a “robust quality management system” supported by international partnerships to ensure alignment with evolving global standards.
Masawudu also highlighted Ghana’s demographic advantages, noting that the country’s youthful population presents a significant opportunity for the maritime sector.
With a median age of around 21 years and hundreds of thousands of young people entering the labour market annually, he said Ghana possesses a “large, skilled and highly trainable” workforce that aligns with the industry’s growing demand for talent.
He added that strong English-language proficiency, relatively high literacy levels and generations of maritime experience within coastal communities provide a natural foundation for developing globally competitive seafarers.
To strengthen confidence among international employers, the GMA reiterated Ghana’s adherence to the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention through Legislative Instrument 2229.
Masawudu stated that Ghana’s continued presence on the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) White List and successful audits by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) ensure that the country’s certification processes meet international requirements.
The Authority is also preparing to introduce an end-to-end digital certification and verification platform to enhance regulatory efficiency and eliminate fraud.
He said the digital system would reinforce international confidence in Ghanaian certificates while improving transparency across the certification process.
Masawudu disclosed that the GMA’s international engagement efforts are already generating results, with partnerships established or advanced with operators including Bahri Ship Management, Hafnia, Pacific International Lines and Kuwait Oil Tanker Company.
Complementing these efforts is the Authority’s “Go to Sea” campaign, a national initiative intended to attract more young people into maritime careers and expand the talent pipeline beyond the more than 300 graduates produced annually by the Regional Maritime University and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
The GMA is also seeking support from the IMO to strengthen local training capacity in areas such as alternative fuels, biodiversity-sensitive operations and digital maritime governance.
Masawudu said employers willing to engage Ghana’s maritime workforce would discover professionals who are technically competent, personally disciplined and “culturally adaptable” across diverse fleet environments, while urging the industry to provide the sea-time opportunities necessary for Ghanaian cadets to demonstrate their capabilities.
