10.5 C
London
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Anomabo Fisheries College to open next academic year

By
Lydia Kukua Asamoah, GNA

Gomoa Okyereko
(C/R), Nov. 17, GNA – The Anomabo Fisheries College is set to open for the 2020
academic year to offer fisheries management training courses for fishery
artisans in the country, Mrs Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, Minister of Fisheries, has
announced.

She said the
College, to be run under the University of Cape Coast (UCC), would train
artisans including boat and net maintenance technicians and provide
certification for fishermen.

“I am reliably
informed that the curricula is completed and also covers degree training from
undergraduate to the PhD level at the College. I want to commend UCC for its
contribution to government’s effort on this score,” Mrs Quaye said.

Mrs Quaye was
speaking at the opening of a training programme for some journalists on
fisheries management, organised by the Centre for Coastal Management,
University of Cape Coast (CCM-UCC), in partnership with the Ministry of
Fisheries and Aquaculture.

The five-day
training was hosted by the Ainoo-Ansah Farms at Gomoa Okyereko near Winneba in
the Central Region.

The training
provided an important platform for the journalists to connect around issues of
vital national interest concerning sustainable fisheries and coastal management
in Ghana.

Mrs Quaye said the
training was, therefore, appropriate as it encompassed the full spectrum of
issues confronting the marine and coastal environment.

She expressed
happiness that it would provide the needed platform for engagement among
journalists to promote accurate reporting on fisheries to aid effective
decision-making and to advocate compliance of fisheries management regulations.

She said discussions
on the fisheries sector were of great national significance at “this critical
time when key stakeholders including government, fisheries practitioners,
scientists and the private sector, are deeply concerned about the decline in
fisheries output, and the ongoing coastal degradation”.

Recent estimates
show that annual yields of small pelagics in Ghana have declined from
approximately 130,000 metric tonnes, some 10 years ago, to about 30,000 metric
tonnes.

The reasons for the
decline include over fishing, unreported and unregulated fishing practices.

Mrs Quaye said the
Government was tackling the declining fish stocks head-on by reviewing the
Fisheries Act to reflect current needs and trends, while the new Policy on
Co-management was being drafted.

She commended the
UCC for partnering the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) to run the Fisheries and Coastal Management Capacity Building Support
Project, since 2015.

Through the
partnership, the CCM-UCC had organised several short courses on Fisheries
Management including Integrated Coastal Zone Management, GIS for coastal area
planning, and Climate Change Adaptation.

“I am reliably
informed that this intervention has benefitted about 300 professionals drawn
from the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and the
Fisheries Commission, NADMO and MMDAs among others,” Mrs Quaye said. 

“The Ministry is
most grateful to the USAID for supporting our capacity building efforts through
provision of financial assistance to roll out these courses.”

“Together we can
rebuild the fish stocks and sustainably manage our coastal resources to bring
the benefits that we all desire.”

GNA

Latest news

Related news