Paramount Group has announced it is the platinum sponsor of the International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEC) underway in Accra, Ghana.
IMDEC coincides with the 60th anniversary celebrations of Ghana’s Navy. It is scheduled to conclude on 25 July.
Senior Vice President of Paramount Group Eric Ichikowitz, leading the Paramount Group delegation, said: “We have a very strong and lasting relationship with the Ghanaian Navy and it is a great privilege to support this momentous occasion of its 60th anniversary. It is through partnerships like this that governments can unlock the vast benefits of the Blue Ocean economy by creating indigenous and regional naval capabilities that will bolster local manufacturing, skills development and technology transfer.”
Themed “60 Years of Naval Excellence: Securing the Maritime Domain for National Development” the serves as the largest gathering of Africa’s public and private sector maritime stakeholders, with more than fifteen Chiefs of Naval Staff amongst a multitude of attendees, convening to participate in more than twenty interactive sessions hosted by the Ghanaian Navy.
According to Ichikowitz, who is also a key speaker at IMDEC: “This conference affords Paramount Group and our stakeholders in the African security and defence space with a timely opportunity to present strategic, localised, and cost-efficient methodologies and solutions necessary to secure some of Africa’s most important assets: its waterways.”
“We are looking forward to deliberate upon lasting solutions for addressing the socio-economical threats of piracy, human and drug trafficking, illegal fishing, bunkering and armed robberies that impact the present security and future potential of Africa’s maritime and coastal waters.”
IMDEC 2019 consists of in-depth panel discussions, breakout sessions and VIP exhibition tours of the Sekondi Naval Base in coastal Ghana, among other military facilities. Attendees will engage in dialogues regarding the potential for improving the effectiveness and versatility of marine vessels, cyber security and electronic warfare in a marine context, localising production and enhancing mechanical repair and overhaul (MRO) services across the Gulf of Guinea through strategic investment, alongside overviewing interagency approaches to governance and regulation.
“We are excited to join the Ghanaian Navy at IMDEC 2019, an event we anticipate will foster newfound dialogue and best practice in collaboration and innovation for securitizing the Gulf of Guinea. The ECOWAS is home to one of Africa’s foremost oil and gas enclaves that unfortunately today has grown increasingly volatile, costing the region billions of dollars in economic activity. We look forward to continuing to play a role in safeguarding these coastal waters in tandem with our partners across the region,” Ichikowitz concluded.
