National Blue Economy Strategy Receives Cabinet Approval- Fisheries Minister

Ghana’s Cabinet has approved the National Blue Economy Strategy, shifting the plan from design to implementation, to be guided by a new Blue Economy Commission and operated under the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture.

The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mrs Emelia Arthur, announced this at a technical workshop to review the implementation plan for the blue economy strategy on Monday in Accra.

She stated that the strategy is built on six themes: blue wealth, blue health, blue knowledge, blue finance, blue equity, and blue safety and urged participants to work as an integrated team to translate these themes into actionable steps.

Mrs Arthur stated the importance of asking the right questions to prioritise the implementation Plan, noting that this approach would help elicit the appropriate responses required for accurate costing and effective execution of Ghana’s Blue Economy Strategy.

She stressed that these guiding questions must form the backbone of a credible and implementable plan.

The Minister urged participants to pay particular attention to developing an institutional architecture for the proposed Blue Economy Commission, including office structures, staffing, and the appointment of an executive director and a governing board.

She expressed appreciation to AU-IBAR for its continued support and invaluable contributions to Ghana’s journey towards establishing a robust Blue Economy Strategy and called for focused and united efforts over the coming days to begin building “Ghana’s Blue Century.” She added that an inter-ministerial team will be created to oversee the commission’s work.

Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD