‘Power to the Fishers’ launched
The Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) has launched the Power to the Fishers Project, a sustainable fisheries management intervention, in Accra.
CERATH Development Organisation (CDO) is implementing the project, with funding from the European Union (EU) under the Civil Society Organisations in Research and Innovation for Sustainable Development Programme (CSO-RISE).
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The 45-month project seeks to enhance the socio-economic livelihoods of coastal communities in some districts.
The beneficiary areas are Efutu Municipality, Awutu Senya, Ekumfi, Gomoa West and Shama districts.
Target
The project is intended to increase the knowledge level of target fishing communities on best fish processing practices.
It would also complement ongoing efforts to enhance the adoption of improved fish smoking technologies, and empower the target communities to adopt appropriate social protection services.
At the launch, the Regional Director of CDO, Mr Paa Kofi Osei-Owusu, explained that the Power to the Fishers Project would enhance the livelihoods of the target beneficiaries, and complement existing fishery projects funded by the EU and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Mr Christopher Ackon, a representative of the EU, remarked that the project was one evidence of the EU’s commitment to the fisheries sector of Ghana and West Africa as a whole.
The Vice Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Mr Abraham Odoom, reiterated the need to engage communities consistently in the implementation of the project in order to maximise the impact on the beneficiaries.
Study
During the launch, a presentation on a baseline survey conducted by the project team pointed out a number of challenges and prospects in the fishery sector, and the need for collective action to boost the sector’s fortunes.
The launch ended with a panel discussion, where a team of experts shared several viewpoints aimed at enhancing the livelihoods of fisher folks.
A number of relevant stakeholders, including MOFAD, Fisheries Commission, representatives of the EU Delegation to Ghana, Parliamentary Select Committee on
Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, Ghana Standards Authority, Food and Drugs Authority and members of academia graced the occasion.
In attendance also were representatives of the fisherfolk associations and a number of civil society organisations (CSOs) operating within the fisheries sector of Ghana.