GMA fires back at ‘blind’ surveillance claim

The Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) has rejected claims that its vessel monitoring system is ineffective, insisting that vessels operating within Ghana’s maritime jurisdiction remain under 24-hour surveillance.

The Authority’s response comes at a time when a series of narcotics-related cases involving Ghana has heightened scrutiny of the country’s ability to detect and prevent the movement of illicit drugs through its maritime and other entry points.

The GMA, in a statement issued in response to comments by New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications figure, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, described the claims as “false” and “misleading”, saying they did not reflect the operational reality of maritime surveillance in Ghana.

Mr Aboagye had alleged during appearances on TV3’s Daily Brief and Joy FM’s Newsnite programmes on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, that the systems and equipment used by the GMA to monitor Ghana’s waters had been down for months.

He consequently argued that the Authority was effectively “working blindly” and warned that a surveillance gap could expose Ghana’s maritime domain to illicit activity.

But the GMA said its maritime surveillance system was operational and that it continued to use maritime domain awareness tools to monitor vessels within Ghana’s maritime jurisdiction.

“The Authority continues to use its maritime domain awareness tools to monitor vessels and maintains 24-hour surveillance and monitoring of vessels in Ghana’s maritime domain,” the statement said.

Security concerns

The Authority said its surveillance capability was not limited to tracking commercial vessels, but also supported the monitoring and protection of offshore oil and gas facilities, pipelines and submarine cables.

It said its standard operating procedures involved tracking vessels, verifying their identities and checking compliance requirements, with the broader objective of supporting maritime safety, security and environmental protection.

The GMA therefore rejected the suggestion that vessels sailing within Ghana’s waters were effectively beyond the view of the authorities.

“The suggestion that vessels in Ghana’s waters are not monitored is therefore untrue,” it stated.

The latest dispute assumes particular significance against the backdrop of renewed concern over narcotics trafficking and the ability of Ghana’s security architecture to prevent illicit consignments from entering, leaving or transiting the country.

Mr Aboagye has separately called for greater scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding recent cocaine-related cases and argued that weaknesses in surveillance could create opportunities for illicit operators at sea. (MyJoyOnline)

However, the GMA’s statement does not provide technical details on the performance, coverage or availability of individual surveillance components, nor does it directly address whether there have been any temporary outages affecting particular equipment.

GMA maintains surveillance

The Authority said it remained committed to continuous surveillance and the protection of Ghana’s maritime interests.

It urged the public to disregard claims that vessels operating within Ghana’s maritime jurisdiction were not being monitored and advised the public to rely on official communications from the Authority.

The GMA’s position means that two materially different accounts now exist over the state of Ghana’s maritime surveillance system, with Mr Aboagye alleging prolonged equipment and system failures and the Authority maintaining that its surveillance system is operational and that vessels remain subject to round-the-clock monitoring.

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