Ghana will host the West African branch of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS), one of the globally recognised professional shipping institutions, providing education and promoting professionalism in the shipping industry.
Oil and Marine Agencies (OMA) Ghana Limited, has been appointed by the Institute to host the branch.
Mr Karl Ludwig Franz, Chairman of ICS International, announced this at the official launch of the Institute in Accra at the weekend, which was attended by members and fellows of the Institute from Ghana and Nigeria.
Mr Franz said West Africa had in recent years seen an increase in shipping activities leading to a larger involvement of ICS in the sub-region through its growing pool of local members.
This, he said provided the platform for the launch of the branch in a bid to serve the sub-region better.
He noted that West Africa holds a huge potential, which international operators are expecting to tap and this would require a pool of skilled professionals in all aspects of the shipping industry to enable the sub-region to reap the benefits in the field.
Mr Franz said the process of moving goods required many people along the chain and the presence of a weak link destroyed the ability of the team to achieve the maximum.
To be able to do this successfully, he said, there was the need for sufficient understanding of the various components of insurance, economics and the legal issues involved in shipping and this could only be done by professionally qualified staff that could make effective decisions at all times.
Mr Franz said ICS would through its time-tested training modules help to improve the education of workers in the maritime industry to provide the right calibre of staff for operations in the sub-region.
Mr Samuel Edmund, Country Director OMA, said the launch was a positive development in the education of members of the maritime fraternity.
He said it was important that the shipping industry in the sub-region could boast of an umbrella body to help promote the sharing of knowledge across the sector.
The Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers is the only internationally recognised professional body representing shipbrokers, ship managers and agents throughout the world.
With 24 branches in key shipping areas, 3,500 individuals and 120 company members, ICS membership represents a commitment to maintain the highest professional standards across the shipping industry.