Black Star Line Ghana was a great investment; inspired African American community – Capt. Catherine Hazel

Country Inspector for the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), Captain Catherine Haizel, has described the Black Star Line Ghana founded by Ghana’s former President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a very sound investment.
Although the shipping line has collapsed, Capt. Haizel shared that it did not only serve as a source of revenue to the nation but was also a sign of hope to African Americans living in the United States of America at a time where the black race was oppressed.
“It was a very good investment the then President put in place. When you move your cargo in any ship, it is not free and so the government could use the Black Star Line to carry the nation’s exports and bring in imports. Aside from creating jobs for Ghanaian nationals on the ships, it also created jobs for those ashore”, she mentioned.
The Black Star Line Ghana which after the nation’s independence went on voyages across the world brought prestige to both the crew and the country, especially when they visited the Americas.
Speaking in an interview on the Y107.9FM’s Myd Morning Show hosted by Rev Erskine, Captain Haizel said, “On our 1st trip to the US, a TV station came to film us and aired it nationwide. First because we were 3 females on the ship and also because the crew was an all African one. The African Americans in the USA couldn’t also believe their eyes. They never knew people of their kind could ever navigate a ship from Africa to America”.
Being a huge source of inspiration and pride to the black folks out there in the USA, crew of the Black Star Line Ghana were always invited home by Black American families whenever they docked in the country. “They wanted to know more about us and how we achieved such huge strides. They also wanted to have that sense of belonging and pride”.
Ghana’s indefatigable leader, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, in his God given astuteness saw the need for the provision of sea going vessels to set the stage for the institutionalization of Black Star Line, a wholly state-owned maritime corporate entity that sought to explore extensive trading activities within the West African sub-region and subsequently to the entire globalized world.
Operating during his time, and some few years after the Coup against his government, the company was dis-functioned later due to high corruption and mismanagement.
Ghana was a country that could brag of not less than four top 16,000 tonnes vessels that embarked upon regular sailing schedules, traversing the globe.
By: Joel Sanco