The Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, Dr John Mikel Kvistad, and Deputy Head of Mission, Ingrid Skjølaas, paid a courtesy call on the Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Dr Kamal-Deen Ali (Naval Captain Rtd), on Tuesday, Oct 26, 2025, to strengthen strategic partnership on ocean governance.

Discussions touched on international engagements, including shared interests in shipping and maritime industry issues at the International Maritime Organization. GMA acknowledged the crucial support of Norway on green initiatives particularly under the Green Voyage program, an initiative led by the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Technical Cooperation Programme aimed to support developing countries, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), in reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from shipping.

Having completed its baseline assessment, Ghana is now finalizing its National Action Plan to reduce maritime emissions. This plan will support the implementation of Just-in-Time (JIT) sailing at the Tema Port, an operational strategy that matches a vessel’s speed to the port’s real-time berthing schedule.

The meeting also reinforced a shared commitment between the two countries to building a resilient, secure, and sustainable maritime sector through deepened bilateral cooperation.

As a country with one of the world’s fourth-largest commercial fleets, the Ambassador Kvistad emphasizes Norway’s role at the forefront of modernization, technology, and climate action, areas the country view as crucial for a sustainable global maritime future.

Consequently, he expressed keen interest in understanding Ghana’s perspective on maritime safety, security, and environmental issues, given Ghana’s own geographically extensive coastline and its regional leadership in these critical areas.

Dr Kvistad assured of Norway’s unwavering commitment to exploring this future-looking green technology, especially as Ghana seeks best practices.

The Director General of the GMA, Dr Ali, highlighted the Ocean Panel, a unique group of world leaders committed to sustainably managing their national waters to foster a healthy ocean and a resilient blue economy, as one of the most important avenues for Ghana-Norway collaboration, noting his personal contributions as an author.

Dr underscored the GMA’s role in overseeing ocean security with the Ghana Navy, including the use of the Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Information System (VTMIS) and ongoing plans to upgrade it to monitor the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

“Continuous collective effort is vital to sustain the significant reduction in maritime threats achieved in recent years”, Dr Ali said

Recognising the challenges of retrofitting older vessels in the African region, the GMA says they are actively seeking best practices from Norway on onboard carbon capture technology, which filters and stores carbon dioxide from a vessel’s exhaust to reduce emissions at sea.

The DG also stressed the importance of capacity building, expressing the hope for the revival of the NORAD Capacity Building Program and noting Norway’s historical role as a key player in the development of Ghana’s National Integrated Maritime Strategy (NIMS).