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1000 days in captivity, the seafarer’s nightmare
In his quest for greener pastures and fend for his family, a young seafarer Jewel Ahiable left the shores of Ghana with huge hopes of turning his fortune around for the better.
Aboard MV Iceberg 1 ship, the then 31-year-old Jewel Ahiable was beaming with confidence for brighter days ahead and a chance to make things better for himself and his family.
Unknown for him, was the most terrifying, harrowing, dreadful and torturous 1000 days of his life and that of his crew ahead of them, in the middle of the sea, filled with sorrow, grief and regret with no hope in sight.
What was supposed to be a smooth sail, became a nightmare, when six months into a 10-month contract with Azal Shipping and Cargo, LLC, Dubai, on March 2010, Jewel and 23 other crew members were hijacked by Somali pirates and held captive for 1000 days, one of the longest held piracy victims.
Jewel is a marine electrical engineer, who studied at the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in 2003 then Maritime Academy and purposed to work onboard a ship. He secured his first ship in 2006, had the first experience as a seafarer and returned home safely after three months.
Jewel then joined the second ship in 2008 and worked for a year before returning home in 2009 after another successful sail.
Later in 2009 he moved on to a new company for better remuneration-the MV Iceberg 1 ship and graciously departed Ghana on September 29, 2009 to Oman.
The journey started smoothly as they moved from one country to the other with their last voyage taking them from Dubai to the Port of Eden in Yemen.
They had left very late on March 28, 2010 and arrived the following day, March 29 at 7:45am when Jewel was about having breakfast, only to hear the emergency alarm ring.
Just when they were about to find out the reason for the alarm, bullets started flying in the air into the ship and eventually they were hijacked and captured by Somali pirates, taken hostage to Somalia for a ransom to be paid before their release.
They eventually arrived at Somalia in four days where the torturous, two years, one month (1000 days) ordeal began.
During the period, the vessel ran aground, food, water, medical supplies all finished, causing the death of a crew member who was initially dumped into a deep freezer and later thrown into the sea while another member went missing.
“We went on hijack attempts of two ships but was unsuccessful, the United Nations (UN) came in at a point and wanted to take the body of the dead colleague but the pirates did not agree and rather threw the body into the sea,” he narrated.
“We continued to suffer and endured difficult moments. We were beaten, stabbed and one of our Chief Engineers’ ear was cut into pieces and isolated for a year to suffer excruciating pain,” he added.
At the point the crew felt abandoned and forsaken as all attempts to get rescued proved futile and they practically gave up in life because there seem to be no light at the end of the tunnel.
The hijackers were only obsessed with their quest to amass fortune and deafened their ears to the cry of the innocent humans.
That was until December 10, 2012 when they heard another shooting towards the ship and this time, for rescue purposes. The rescue by Puntland Maritime Police Force from Somalia lasted for 13 days as the pirates would not give up easily. The police eventually managed to take the pirates away, evacuate the 22 remaining ‘victims’ who stepped foot on ground for the first time in 1000 days.
“It was a very difficult time for my family as it took them three months to hear that I was hijacked. They went around for help and God protected us all,” he stated.
Painfully, he also lost the love of his life to another man during the period since there was no communication. “We came back on December 23, 2012 and she got married in February 2013. I lost her contact so she moved on,” he said. Jewel is however currently married with two children.
The near-death experience for Jewel during the captivity had become a learning curve for many seafarers as he managed to come out with a book titled ‘Hijacked! 1000 Days’ Harrowing Experience in the Hands of Somali Pirates’ to not only narrate his ordeal but recommend solutions.
The 44-year-old has also become a resource person to maritime institutions with one of his recent endeavours-a presentation at the ongoing Support for West Africa Integrated Maritime Security (SWAIMS) training in maritime affairs and security at the RMU.
He advised participants to be guided by their instincts before embarking on a journey, take their training seriously while calling for drills on every ship on how to escape such attacks.
Unfortunately, after the ordeal, the survivor’s salaries were not paid by the company while the government of Ghana, though promised to pay compensations to them, had since not reached out despite several attempts.
By Michael D. Abayateye
The Global Network of Export-Import Banks and Development Finance Institutions (G-NEXID) successfully held its sixth (6th) Exchange Programme, hosted by the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) Bank in Accra from March 22 to 23 March.
The event brought together member institutions, partner organisations and Ghanaian public entities to advance dialogue on South-South trade, investment and development finance, while also creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and institutional cooperation.
Organised as a capacity-building and networking platform, the 2026 edition of the G-NEXID Exchange focused on GEXIM’s experience in developing innovative solutions to promote intra-African and extra-African trade.
It also highlighted trade and investment opportunities in Ghana, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and broader national development initiatives.
The Exchange Programme forms part of G-NEXID’s mandate to foster cooperation among export-import banks and development finance institutions in support of South-South trade and investment.
This 6th edition follows earlier successful programmes hosted by India Exim Bank (2016), BNDES (2017), Indonesia Eximbank (2018), Afreximbank (2019) and Saudi EXIM Bank (2025).
On the first day, participants were presented with G-NEXID institutional information and received an update on the Network’s 2026 work programme.
There were a series of substantive presentations, including an overview of the Ghanaian economy by the Ministry of Finance, with particular attention to debt-related challenges; a presentation by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), on investment opportunities in the country; and institutional presentations by GEXIM and Development Bank Ghana (DBG) on their respective mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Discussions during the sessions underscored strong interest in sector-focused webinars and business dialogues, particularly in agribusiness value chains such as poultry and rice.
Participants also emphasized the importance of continued information exchange and the sharing of best practices, especially in the area of guarantees.
The second day opened with a presentation on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme, a national economic transformation strategy launched by President John Dramani Mahama in July 2025.
The initiative aims to enhance economic productivity through continuous industrial activity, accelerated export development and strategic import substitution.
As the programme is expected to mobilise both private and development capital, it presents concrete opportunities for G-NEXID members in areas such as co-financing, guarantees, trade finance and technical cooperation.
The programme also featured institutional presentations by guest organisations, namely the African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund (FAGACE) and the West African Development Bank (BOAD), which shared their mandates, initiatives, products and services.
Following these exchanges, the G-NEXID Secretariat held bilateral discussions with both institutions as part of the Network’s ongoing membership drive.
Participants further benefited from a presentation by the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB), as well as a showcase of GEXIM’s key pipeline projects.
On the margins of the Exchange Programme, G-NEXID members also held their 20th Annual General Assembly Meeting to review progress and discuss strategic priorities.
Following the event, participants joined the GEXIM@10 International Conference, held from March 24-25, 2026 under the theme, “A Decade of Enabling Export Trade and Industrial Transformation: Resetting GEXIM for the Next Frontier.”
The conference provided an important platform for exploring how Ghana can strengthen its transition from a primary commodity exporter to a more competitive player in value-added trade and industrial development.
Source – G-NEXID
President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, signed five bills including three amendment bills passed by Parliament into law.
They are: Security and Intelligence Agencies Bill, 2025; University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Bill, 2025; Ghana Deposit Protection (Amendment) Bill, 2025; Growth and Sustainability Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
In a brief remark after assenting to the bills, President Mahama explained that the Security and Intelligence Agencies Act, 2026, scraps the Office of Minister of National Security and frees the President’s to appoint any Minister to supervise the security agencies.
He said it also reverses the name of the office of National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), to the original name, Bureau of National Intelligence, (BNI).
This the President said, addresses the confusion between that security agency and a well-known Ghanaian financial institution, the National Investment Bank.
President Mahama also noted that the University of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences Act, 2026, establishes another University in the Eastern Region, at Bonsu, with three campuses – the main campus at Bonsu in the Eastern Region, with the second campus to be cited at Ohawu in the Oti Region.
The third, the Presdient assed will be located at Acherensua in the Ahafo Region.
Touching on the Amendment to the Growth and Sustainability Levy Act, the President said, “As you’re aware, the act was amended to increase it from 1% to 3%, and so this act reduces it again. That is the levy on mining companies. It reduces it again to 1%, because of the introduction of the sliding scale of royalties.”
He also spoke to the passage of the Government Education Regulatory Bodies Amendment Act, emphasising that amends Act 1023 to grant greater flexibility to private tertiary institutions and the option to Charter.
The Ghana Deposit Protection Amendment Act, the President concluded, is an amendment to an original act that was supposed to guarantee deposits held in commercial banks or financial institutions.
It basically expands protection to include mobile money wallets and other digital platforms, ensuring a wider scope of digital financial assets are secured.
The signing ceremony, was witnessed by the Clerk of Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Dr Dominic Akrutinga Ayine, Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a Senior Presidential Advisor and a Special Aide to the President, Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, and the Vice President, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
