SOURCE: Port And Maritime Agenda-PAMA
Fisheries Transparency Initiative International - FiTI Secretariat, in partnership with Center for Maritime Law and Security Africa (CEMLAWS), has launched a 2023 Summary Assessment Report, ‘TAKING STOCK: Online Transparency of Fisheries Management information.’’
The event which was held in Accra-Ghana was graced by the Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Honorable Moses Anim, other officials of the Ministry, stakeholders from west Africa Countries among others.
In his remarks, Hon Anim welcomed the report and indicated the importance of the launch and the need to disseminate information. He said…….
“The report can be described as a scorecard on what type and how much fisheries information can readily be accessed and utilized from any internet medium.’’
The relevance of the fisheries sector in the socio-economic development of a country cannot be over emphasized.
Countries like Mauritania and Seashells are committed in the implementation of the project.
Ghana’s fisheries sector consists of marine capture fisheries, inland fisheries and aquaculture.
The fisheries sector creates about 350 million jobs worldwide for 20% of the active labor force (2.5 million people)
The marine fisheries sector has four subsectors namely artisanal or small-scale, semi-industrial or inshore, industrial, and tuna fisheries.
The Fisheries sector of Ghana is battling issues including extensive Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Mr. Sven Biermann, Executive Director, FiTI a global multi stakeholder partnership that strengthens transparency and collaboration in marine fisheries engagement, raised concerns on the health of our fish stock and gap in information and importance on information sharing.
The Deputy Minster used the occasion to urge stakeholders to make policy information and implementation assessable online.
He added that since 2021, the ministry has embarked on key fisheries policy initiatives and infrastructure projects that are expected to transform the sector and enhance the management approach to sustainable fisheries resource management.
In 2022, the internet penetration rate was estimated to be about 53% or 17 million users of our population in absolute figures. It is noted that some fishers are already using a smartphone App to report IUU incidents.
The use of smartphone is gradually dominating any coastal community today, a gadget which fishers and others use to asses information for various purposes including business, academia and entertainment.
Mr. Sven stated that transparency is a journey and a gradual approach and therefore a need to increase stakeholder involvement.
It took the committee six (6) months to produce the report “TAKING STOCK: online transparency of Fisheries management information, a 2023 Summary Assessment Report” and funded by the Bloomberg philanthropies Ocean Initiative.
According to Hon Anim, the Ministry considers the report as one of the efforts by Civil Society Organizations such as FiTI and CEMLAWS Africa to complement ongoing measures by the Ministry and relevant state agencies to enhance transparency in fisheries governance.
Script writers
Jackline Favour Asassey
Ruth Botwey
Script Editor
Tawiah Mensah
Tags
Fisheries Ministries
CEMLAWS
FiTI
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