Fisheries Minister Seeks Support of World Leaders to Back Africa’s Fisheries Sector
The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mrs Emelia Arthur, has urged world leaders to back Africa’s fisheries with real capital and technology.
She made this call at the 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries in Rome.
She stated that Africa possesses both the untapped capacity and the urgent responsibility to scale up its sustainable aquatic food production.
“Africa’s aquatic food production should and can be increased. Fish is far more than a staple on Ghanaian dinner plates; it is the bedrock of national food security and coastal livelihood,” she added.
According to her, about 3 million Ghanaians depend directly or indirectly on the fisheries and aquaculture value chain.
She noted, however, that Ghana’s freshwater capture fisheries have faced a decline due to illegal overfishing, habitat destruction, and climate stress.
“To reverse these ecological and economic threats, Ghana has initiated a structural overhaul of its marine sectors’’ she disclosed.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei & Faithful Amah, ISD
