Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, has called for stronger political commitment and increased investment in sustainable fisheries and aquaculture across Africa.
She says such investments are critical to strengthening food security, improving nutrition and building climate-resilient livelihoods on the continent.
The minister made the call in a social media post on Monday, June 15, following her participation in the Our Ocean Conference 2026 held in Kenya.
“At the Our Ocean Conference 2026, I reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to advancing the Blue Foods agenda and highlighted the critical role of aquatic foods in addressing food insecurity, improving nutrition, strengthening climate resilience, and supporting livelihoods across Africa,” she wrote.
She was speaking at the High-Level African Blue Food Leadership Roundtable, where she urged African countries to scale up investment in the sector as a key driver of development.
According to her, Ghana is already taking steps to improve fisheries governance, expand aquaculture production and intensify efforts to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
She also announced the establishment of Africa’s first Blue Food Innovation Hub in Ghana, in partnership with the World Economic Forum and the Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana.
The hub, she explained, is expected to promote innovation, support inland aquaculture enterprises and mobilise at least US$10 million in private sector investment by 2032.
“I also highlighted Ghana’s ongoing efforts to strengthen fisheries governance, expand aquaculture production, and intensify the fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing,” she added.
Emelia Arthur further welcomed proposals to establish an African Network of Blue Food Champions, urging greater collaboration among countries to build resilient aquatic food systems.
She stressed that sustainable management of marine and inland water resources remains central to achieving long-term food security and economic growth for Africa.
Ghana, she noted, remains committed to leading efforts in innovation, collaboration and sustainable development within the blue economy space across the continent.
