Assessing the Effectiveness of the Ghana Maritime Authority in Managing the Maritime Industry in Ghana

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2012-02-08
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Abstract
The study sought to assess the effectiveness of the GMA in managing the maritime industry in Ghana and to identify the major challenges facing the GMA in the discharge of its mandate. The study specifically identified the functions of the GMA, explored the extent to which the GMA has discharged its functions, examined the strengths and pitfalls of GMA in the discharge of its responsibilities, and identified possible ways to strengthen the GMA to help achieve its goals and offered recommendations to strengthen its role over the maritime industry. The views of 75 respondents, selected purposively, comprising maritime professionals from GMA and various maritime sectors within Accra, the port of Takoradi and Tema and Akosombo as well were gathered through two sets of questionnaires and interviews to form the primary data. The secondary data were gathered through library and internet research. The results revealed that maritime professionals from GMA and maritime professionals from various maritime sectors shared similar views about the effectiveness of the GMA in the delivery of its functions. The majority of the respondents from the two sides were of the view that GMA’s overall performance has not been very impressive even though GMA has discharged some of its functions very well. The study brought to light that the GMA is concentrating more on the historical functions that were performed under the SND than the new functions mandated by the GMA Act. The study revealed the main challenge hindering effective and efficient delivery of the GMA’s mandate as institutional challenges namely: lack of proper management style, strategies, systems, and structures; inadequate competent technical/professional personnel; inadequate logistics, infrastructure and equipment; inadequate funds; lack of rules and regulations to implement the functions and political interference. The study recommended that the sector ministry or the government should ensure that the management of the GMA adopts proper management style, strategies, systems, and structures for the achievement of desired goals and objectives. The management of the GMA should recruit competent technical or professional personnel and existing staff be trained; ensure that the various laws and regulations are developed as a matter of urgency; embark on outreach programmes to inform and educate stakeholders; set up a maritime think tank to generate ideas from experts from the various maritime sectors to help strengthen and develop the GMA and the maritime industry in general; identify other sources of revenue to complement the current sources of revenue to finance its projects. The government/politicians should minimize interference in the management of GMA.
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A Thesis submitted to the Institute of Distance Learning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Commonwealth Executive Masters of Business Administration, June, 2012
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