The government has launched a three-year project to strengthen compliance with the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies as part of efforts to protect marine resources and improve fisheries governance.
The project was launched on Monday at a meeting in Accra organised by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture with participation from the Fisheries Commission. In partnership with the Global Fisheries and Resilience Action, the three-year project is funded by the World Trade Organisation Fish Fund.
The initiative seeks to improve transparency and accountability in the fisheries sector while addressing harmful subsidies linked to overfishing and illegal, unreported, and Unregulated fishing.
Speaking at the meeting, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mrs Emelia Arthur, noted that Ghana must strengthen its compliance systems to protect the future of the fisheries sector and coastal communities.
She said effective compliance goes beyond meeting international obligations and must ensure that the country’s fisheries remain productive, equitable and sustainable for future generations.
According to her, the project would be implemented through a five-pillar framework focused on subsidies, biological sustainability, livelihoods, distribution and governance.
“Under the subsidies pillar, authorities will monitor fiscal support to ensure public funds do not encourage harmful fishing practices. The biological component will focus on monitoring fish stock levels to prevent over-exploitation,” she added.
The minister stated that the livelihoods pillar would support vulnerable coastal communities that rely on artisanal fishing, and the distribution pillar would also promote fairness across the fisheries value chain with attention to women in the sector.
“The governance pillar will strengthen transparency, legal systems and regulatory oversight,” she said.
She disclosed that the first tranche of funding has already been released to support the immediate rollout of compliance measures.
Mrs Arthur reiterated that, “An 11-member steering committee has also been set up to supervise implementation of the project. The committee is expected to hold monthly meetings, engage stakeholders regularly and conduct quarterly reviews to track Ghana’s progress in meeting its WTO commitments.”
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
