The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mrs Emelia Arthur, has reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to implementing the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), disclosing that the country has made progress in submitting its FiTI implementing country application.
She made this statement on Tuesday at the Regional Workshop on Advancing FiTI Implementations in Anglophone Africa, held at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.
She noted that fisheries remain central to the social, cultural and economic fabric of African societies.
She said, “Nearly 10 per cent of Ghana’s population depend on the fisheries value chain for their livelihoods, while fish accounts for approximately 60 per cent of the country’s animal protein intake.”
She identified illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, climate change, habitat degradation, declining fish stocks, and weak governance systems as major threats confronting the sector.
Mrs Arthur called for stronger institutions and credible data to address the challenges confronting Africa’s fisheries sector, saying they require informed decisions, strong institutions, credible data, and inclusive governance systems that command public trust.
She also commended Liberia and Sierra Leone for advancing their fisheries transparency efforts and called for stronger regional cooperation to address shared challenges affecting marine resources across the sub-region.
Ms Johanna Klotz, who represented the German Development Cooperation and the German Embassy in Accra, highlighted Ghana’s planned Fisheries Information System as a major milestone toward achieving more transparent, accountable, and participatory fisheries governance.
Participants also engaged in a partner dialogue session, which provided a platform for countries and stakeholders to exchange experiences on how transparency can improve decision-making, strengthen accountability, and attract investment into the fisheries sector.
Adwoa Koramah Anokye-Gyimah, ISD
