Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Chairperson of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Security and Intelligence, has announced that a new Maritime and Other Offences Bill will soon be laid before Parliament to address major legal gaps affecting Ghana’s maritime security and economic stability.
She said the proposed legislation would align Ghana’s legal framework with international standards on piracy, stressing that the current laws do not provide a comprehensive definition of piracy, making it difficult for authorities to successfully prosecute such offences and protect the country’s shipping and logistics sector.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings made the disclosure at a stakeholder engagement in Accra to review the National Framework for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism.
The forum was organised by the Government of Ghana through the National Counter Terrorism Fusion Centre with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
She explained that in the absence of specific legal provisions, law enforcement agencies were often compelled to rely on alternative charges when dealing with maritime crimes, a situation she described as inadequate given the evolving security threats within the Gulf of Guinea and the wider West African sub-region.
“We currently cannot prosecute piracy because our rather outdated law does not give a definition that makes it possible for us to successfully prosecute,” she said.
“When offences are committed at sea, authorities are forced to use other charges instead of piracy, which is clearly not good enough considering recent developments.”
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said the proposed Maritime and Other Offences Bill would not only close existing legal loopholes but also strengthen coordination among security agencies and improve Ghana’s overall maritime security framework, which plays a critical role in protecting trade flows, port operations and investor confidence.
She noted that the Bill would incorporate provisions consistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), explaining that aligning national legislation with international conventions would improve enforcement, strengthen deterrence and support the growth of maritime trade.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said the maritime sector remained central to Ghana’s economy, particularly as the country sought to position itself as a logistics and trade hub within the sub-region.
She said weak enforcement laws could increase risks for shipping companies, insurance providers, exporters and investors, while stronger legislation would help improve confidence in Ghana’s ports and maritime services.
Brigadier General Dr Timothy Ba-Taa-Banah, Director of the National Counter Terrorism Fusion Centre, said Ghana would not be complacent in addressing emerging security threats, despite recording no terrorist attacks on its soil.
He said the country’s record of zero attacks was the result of deliberate strategies and proactive measures, which must be sustained as threats continued to evolve across the sub-region.
“There is no room for complacency for any of the stakeholders involved in this holistic approach,” he stated.
Brigadier General Dr Ba-Taa-Banah also highlighted emerging risks, including the growing use of artificial intelligence in disinformation and the increasing sophistication of terrorist financing, stressing the need to continuously review and update existing security frameworks.
Miss Shaima Hussein, Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, said strengthening preventive mechanisms had become urgent, particularly as extremist activities continued to rise in parts of the region.
She said addressing violent extremism also required tackling the underlying economic drivers such as unemployment, inequality, poverty and social exclusion, especially among young people.
The three-day stakeholder engagement brought together representatives from government institutions, security agencies, civil society organisations, religious bodies and youth groups to assess the implementation of the 2019 framework, identify gaps and propose strategies to strengthen national security while protecting Ghana’s economic interests.
