The Deputy Minister for Transport, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, has pledged to support the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in its mandate to deliver world-class maritime education to young people across the continent and beyond.
Speaking during a familiarisation visit to the RMU on Tuesday, the Deputy Minister noted that the university’s mandate aligned with the government’s priorities of economic transformation and job creation, under its resetting agenda.
Hence, she emphasised the need to support RMU in training the next generation of professionals in seafaring and related fields.
She mentioned that the university was strategically placed to play a key role in the government’s 24-hour Economy policy by training maritime professionals and seafarers to boost the country’s human resource base, particularly in the maritime industry.
The RMU, she said, could be tailored to support employment creation both for seafarers and maritime professionals in onshore sectors.
“The institution could also align with Ghana’s blue economy agenda, harnessing the opportunities presented by the ocean resources to drive growth in the maritime industry,” she mentioned.
The visit served as an opportunity for the Deputy Minister to engage with the RMU community, better understand the challenges faced by the institution, and explore avenues for collaboration in fulfilling its mandate as Ghana’s premier maritime university.
Her visit also aimed to familiarise herself with the university’s operations and activities, while interacting and exchanging ideas with management, staff and students.
The Deputy Minister and her delegation were received by the university’s management, led by the Acting Vice Chancellor, Dr. Jethro W. Brooks Jr., and the University Registrar, Dr Baboucarr Njie.
In his remarks, Dr Brooks expressed gratitude for the visit and reaffirmed RMU’s readiness to partner with the Ministry to advance maritime education and training.
He noted that the Deputy Minister’s visit coincided with the university’s Customer Service Month, as well as the commemoration of the birthday of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah whose vision of African unity laid the foundation for the establishment of RMU.
Head of the Business Development Center (BDC) Madam Sika Attioe also delivered an in-depth presentation on RMU’s history, academic programmes, key activities and strategic growth agenda.
As part of the visit, the Deputy Minister toured RMU’s state-of-the-art facilities, including the Vocational Skills Training Center (VSTC), Safety and Security Center, and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) laboratory, among others.
