H.E. President of Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo
H.E. Vice President of Republic of Ghana, Dr. Alhadji Mamudu Bawumia
Omanhene of Oguaa Traditional Area, Nana Osabarima Kwesi Atta II
Hon. Minister for Food and Agriculture
Hon. Regional Ministers
Hon. Colleague Ministers and Deputy Ministers
Hon Members of Parliament
Hon Metropolitan/Municipal/District Chief Executives
Chief Executives of COCOBOARD and ADB Bank Limited
Chief Directors of MOFAD and MOFA
Directors and Officers from MOFAD, MOFA and COCOBOARD
Esteemed Sponsors
Distinguished Award Winners
Executives of Fisheries and Farmers Associations
Representatives of Development Partners, Civil Society Groups
Members of the Media
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen
Good Morning
I am particularly excited to join His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana, Colleague Ministers and Members of Parliament, Farmers and Fishers across the country, and the good people of the Central Region to observe this year’s National Farmers’ Day Celebration.
This unique day allow us as Ghanaians to recognize the hard work and dedication of Farmers and Fishers and their contribution to national development during the year. I therefore take the opportunity to wish all Farmers and Fishers a Happy Farmers’ Day Celebration and to congratulate all award winners for their outstanding performance during the year. AYEKOO
Nana Chairman, for the first time in the history of the Farmers’ Day Celebration, the overall National Best Fisher would be awarded a two bedroom self-contain house. This has been made possible through the generous contributions of our sponsors who have over the years supported the Ministry to award our hard working Fishermen, Fish Farmers and Fish Processors. I sincerely thank them for their kind gesture.
Nana Chairman, beginning next year, the Ministry would institute the National Fish Fair (EXPO) to commemorate the celebration of International Fisheries Day as done in other countries. It is the expectation of the Ministry that such an event would offer the platform to showcase the fisheries and aquaculture sector.
The theme for this year’s Farmers’ Day Celebration “Planting for Food and Jobs: Consolidating Food System in Ghana” provides a further platform for discussions on Food System in Ghana following the UN Food System Summit held on 23rd September, 2021. The theme also set the stage for Ghana’s food systems transformation to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Nana Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the fisheries and aquaculture sector as a segment of Ghana’s food system alone employs estimated 3 million people along the value chain. The sector also provides about 60% of the animal protein requirement of Ghanaians, earned on the average USD200 million in export of fish and fishery products annually, contributes approximately 1% to GDP, as well as, One Billion United States Dollars (US$1 billion) in revenue. The importance of the sector to Ghana’s food system therefore cannot be underestimated.
Accordingly, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development is keen to sustain the fisheries and aquaculture sector for the current and future generations and protect the environment by:
- Intensifying the fight to end illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities in both marine and inland fishing communities.
- Implementing annual closed fishing season for all fleets with the view of reducing the excessive pressure on marine fisheries resources and replenishing the depleting fish stocks.
- Improving fisheries and aquaculture infrastructure such as the provision of educational/training facilities and hatcheries for the modernization of the sector to enhance productivity.
- Improving fish post-harvest management to reduce post-harvest losses, improve the income of fishers and protect their investment by providing improved processing technologies and inputs to processors.
- Promoting aquaculture development to increase fish production and reduce the pressure on marine and inland fishery resources.
- Developing the fisheries and aquaculture value chain and strengthening the linkages between them.
Nana Chairman, the aforementioned interventions are expected to enhance access to fish and fish products, address nutritional and food needs of Ghanaians.
Currently the fisheries resources of the marine and inland water bodies are overexploited. However, the demand for fish kept increasing annually due to increase in population and the preference of fish to meat by the populace. Aquaculture development offered the nation the alternative to bridge the gap between demand and supply of fish.
Nana Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the Ministry therefore in 2019, initiated the Aquaculture For Food and Jobs Programme as a pilot. I wish to inform you that the Ministry have started rolling out the Programme nationwide in 2021.
So far a total of 24 Youth Groups, 12 Senior High Schools, 1 Education College and 4 Prisons have benefited under the Programme. For each Youth Group or Public Institution, 10 ponds are constructed and stocked with fingerlings of either Tilapia or Catfish. In addition, they are provided with fish feed to last a production cycle, trained in fish farm management and offered regular extension services.
Nana Chairman, permit me to use this platform to commend and express our gratitude to GIZ in partnering the Ministry to roll out the Aquaculture for Food and Jobs Programme in selected areas of the Western Region. Under the GIZ-MOFAD/FC Programme, 15 Youth Groups and 100 Distressed Small Scale Fish Farmers will be supported. In addition, 100 Women in the project area will be trained in fish handling and processing and supported with cash to buy fish from the beneficiary groups. I am using this platform to appeal to other Development Partners to emulate the good example of GIZ.
Nana Chairman, through the collaboration and cooperation of the Executives of the various Fisheries Associations, the Ministry successfully implemented the 2021 Closed Fishing season. For the first time in the history of the country, the Government through the Ministry distributed a total of 15,000 bags of rice and 6,250 cartons of cooking oil to the fishermen and fish processors during the closed season as relief items.
The Ministry has also distributed a total of 5,221 outboard motors to fishermen at subsidized price to facilitate their fishing operations.
Nana Chairman, Ghana has been selected to host the 7th Meeting of Ministers responsible for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Organization of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) in Accra from 5th to 8th April, 2022 on the theme “OACPS Blue Economy Agenda 2030 – Catalysing the sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Development for the future”. The theme for the 7th OACP Meeting of Ministers is relevant to Government’s policy in transforming and accelerating growth in the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The Ministry will count on the active participation and support of all stakeholders in hosting this important event.
Nana Chairman, Distinguished Ladies and Gentleman, the Ministry will not tolerate any form of illegal fishing practices by both the canoes and industrial trawlers. While arresting and taking punitive sanctions against industrial trawlers for engaging in illegal fishing, the Ministry cannot look on unconcerned regarding illegal fishing by canoes.
Nana Chairman, the incident of light fishing by artisanal canoes is on the increase. Henceforth, the Ministry will suspend supply of Premix Fuel to any Landing Beach whose canoes are identified to be engaged in illegal fishing practices to serve as a deterrent to others.
Nana Chairman, in concluding, I wish to appeal to all canoe owners and operators who have not embossed the allocated registration numbers on their canoes to do so by 31st December 2021. At the end of the Grace Period, any canoe without an embossed registration number will not be supplied with Premix fuel for fishing trip. In addition, such a canoe will not benefit from Government subsidized outboard motor and other fishing inputs.
I wish you all a Happy National Farmers’ Day and May God Bless Our Homeland Ghana.