By
Patrick Cofie, GNA
Dodowa (GAR), June 24, GNA – Mr Kofi Agbogah,
the Director of Hen Mpoano, has said there is the need for reforms in the
fisheries sector to ensure sustainable development and food security.
He said this requires transparency,
participation and accountability by all stakeholders in the sector.
Speaking over the weekend at a workshop held
to discuss challenges in the fishing sector, Mr Agbogah said the fisheries
sector should be seen as an extractive industry whose renewable natural
resources could be exhausted.
The event was held under the theme: Towards
consensus building –improved fisheries governance in GHEITI.
Participants at the two-day
Friedrich-Erbert-Stiftung sponsored workshop included various members of the
Industrial Trawlers Association; Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council; Inland
Canoe Fishermen Council; Ghana National Fish Traders and Processors, amongst
others.
Discussing the topic: Contemporary challenges
in the fisheries sector demanding transparency and accountability, Mr Agbogah
said it is imperative that Ghana signs and joins on the Fisheries Transparency
Initiative (FiTI).
Mr Agbogah said the purpose of FiTI is to
“increase transparency and participation in fisheries governance for the
benefit of a more sustainable management of marine fisheries.
He said there is the urgent need for
transparency in the sector to address the perennial concerns of: fisheries data
collection and reporting; FC board composition; vessel ownership and licensing
concerns; the Fisheries Development Fund; and the pervasive illegal
transshipment concerns.
Mr Agbogah said the challenges in the
fisheries sector include: political polarization and interferences; low
empowerment of local leadership (chief fishermen); low engagement of fisher
folks amongst others.
Mr Noble Wadza, an executive of
Oilwatch-Ghana, said Government of Ghana signed on to the Extractive Industry
Transparency Initiative (EITI) in 2003.
He said this became known as the GHEITI bill
which is yet to be passed into law.
Mr Wadza said the fulcrum of this Initiative
is to strengthen transparency and accountability in relation to revenue and
payments from the extractive sector.
He said GHEITI which was initially introduced
to the mining and oil and gas sector, has now been expanded to include the
forestry and fishery sector.
GNA