Fisheries Minister backs Greater Role for Women in Fisheries Sector

The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, has pledged to explore stronger collaboration with the Women in Aquatic Science and Management Network (WASMaN) to increase women’s participation, visibility and leadership in Ghana’s fisheries sector.

She said the Ministry was prepared to work with WASMaN on research, mentorship, and capacity building to create more opportunities for women and strengthen their contribution to the development of the fisheries and aquaculture industry.

The Minister made the commitment on Wednesday in Accra when the President of WASMaN, Dr. Alberta Sagoe, led a delegation to engage the Ministry to introduce the network’s activities and explore areas of collaboration.

The engagement is part of efforts to promote greater inclusion of women in fisheries and aquatic science and to strengthen the use of research and evidence in policy development.

Mrs Arthur welcomed the initiative and expressed interest in identifying practical areas where the Ministry and WASMaN could work together to support the professional development and visibility of women in the sector.

She noted that strengthening women’s participation in the fisheries sector was important to harness the expertise, knowledge and potential of women across fisheries, aquaculture and related fields.

On her part, Dr. Sagoe said WASMaN was established to strengthen women’s participation in aquatic science and management by connecting practitioners, supporting research and mentorship, and bringing evidence into policy discussions.

She said the network covered fisheries, aquaculture, freshwater and marine science, coastal management, conservation and development.

Dr. Sagoe said WASMaN had membership categories for students, early-career professionals, professionals, fellows, and associate or ally members, supported by a leadership committee and secretariat.

She highlighted the network’s Research Spotlight initiative, which provides members with opportunities to share their research through webinars, articles and other platforms.

She also mentioned the WASMaN Knowledge Bites, a one-page knowledge-sharing initiative focusing on issues at the intersection of science and management, as well as planned mentorship and capacity-strengthening programmes.

Dr. Sagoe said the network was currently self-funded and was seeking support to expand its programmes, particularly community engagement activities.

She said several proposals had been submitted as part of efforts to mobilise resources to implement the network’s programmes.

The engagement provided an opportunity for the Ministry and WASMaN to identify areas of mutual interest and discuss ways to strengthen collaboration to enhance women’s contribution and visibility in Ghana’s fisheries sector.

Judith Twumwaa, ISD