Fishers call for stakeholder engagement on premix fuel
The Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG) has called for a meeting with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture (MoFAD) and the Premix Fuel Secretariat to fashion out a way to ensure uninterrupted supply of premix fuel.
It said the disruption in the supply of the specialised fuel, without readily available alternative and affordable fuel for artisanal fishers, had caused a lot of challenges for players in the industry, including fishers, processers and workers.
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This was contained in a statement signed by the President of the association, Nana Kweigyah, and issued in Accra yesterday as part of activities to commemorate this year’s World Fisheries Day and the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture.
The statement urged artisanal fishers to remain calm and support the government’s effort to address the situation.
“Let’s together promote responsible fishing to safeguard our livelihoods. We can continue to happily celebrate the day only when the fish is here,” it said.
It further called on the government, the Fisheries Commission and other stakeholders to ensure transparency in the fisheries sector, in the face of fast emerging threats, in order to safeguard the industry.
Significance
The commemoration of the day seeks to raise awareness of the role of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture in food security, job creation and poverty eradication.
It also offers artisanal fishers in the country the opportunity to highlight the challenges that the sector faces and the need for stakeholders to take action to build new and strengthen existing partnerships to sustain the industry.
Fish festival
In a related development, MoFAD said it would celebrate a fish festival at the Independence Square in Accra on November 24 and 25, 2022.
The two-day festival is to provide a platform for fishers to showcase their products and be acknowledged for their invaluable contribution to food security in the country.
It formed part of the government’s vision to transform and grow the aquaculture sub-sector, increase domestic fish production, reduce fish imports and create job opportunities along the value chain, the ministry said.
The festival was first celebrated in Prampram in the Greater Accra Region in 2015, while the second festival came off in Anloga in the Volta Region in 2016.
According to the sector Minister, Mavis Hawa Koomson, “this year, the ministry decided to re-institute it and celebrate the third edition, which will be on the theme: “Promoting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for national development”.
She said the decision to re-institute the fish festival stemmed from the ministry’s objective of revamping the industry to support fishers and players in the value chain to improve on their well-being.
There will be durbars, an exhibition of fishing and aquaculture inputs and fish products, as well as panel discussions.
