Ghana last week banned fish imports in a move to boost the local aquaculture sub-sector but even the country’s Agricultural union has expressed concerns over the planning of the move.
Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Sherry Ayitey described the government’s decision to ban the import of Tilapia fish, which is a very popular part of Ghanaian cuisine, as necessary to spur growth in the budding local aquaculture sub-sector.
More than 90 percent of Ghana’s annual fish demand of 880,000 tonnes is serviced by imports which the government costs at $2 billion annual, only 42,000 tonnes of that, just a little over 4 percent, is produced locally.
The ban, the minister said, will boost the local industry’s participation in the industry and create 50,000 jobs, something desperately by the country’s many unemployed youths and struggling economy.
However, concerns are already being expressed over the government’s move, or rather implementation of the move. The concerns come from nowhere else than Ghana’s Agricultural Workers Union GAWU.
The union’s Deputy General Secretary Edward Kareweh, although welcoming the ban, said the government was yet to produce its strategic policy to increase local tilapia production. Explaining that the ban must be backed by a concrete plan for it to succeed, Kareweh described it as an opportunity for government to outline its policy measures in respect of increasing Tilapia production within the country.
GAWU’s concerns represent the fears of Ghanaians that the Government ought to have made an alternative arrangement to meet the consumption needs for the massive shortfalls in supply that will be created by the ban. Edward Kareweh also spoke of the need for further clarification; it is not everybody who will support the ban therefore those people require an explanation why the ban is necessary and for how long it will last, whether it will be a permanent one, or it is going to be for a short while he stated.
Another crucial part to the success of the fish import ban is the effective regulation of the the local fishing industry, something the government said it is very concerned about. Ghana’s Agriculture ministry last week disclosed that it was seeking the collaboration of stakeholders to collaborate in the enforcement of international and local fisheries laws in order to ensure a sustainable fisheries sector which would rake in huge foreign exchange into the economy.
Agric Minister Ayitey admitted that for Ghana’s fish to be accepted locally and internationally, all fisheries laws must be implemented to ensure that lights, dynamite, mercury and other dangerous chemicals are not used in the country’s waters.
Illegal fishing is also another huge bane to the optimization of the local fishing industry. Ghana’s Director of Naval Training Captain (GN) Emmanuel A. Kwafov told reporters that as part of the law enforcement, tracking devices have been installed on all tuna vessels and trawlers as well it becoming illegal for any vessel to go fishing in the country’s waters without the device.
Kwafov added that illegal nets as well as lights used for fishing would be confiscated to the state while culprits are arraigned before court. He however added that the law allows for out of court settlement through the use of administrative penalties.
With decision taken, measures put in place and concerns raised, all that is now awaited is the outcome of the Ghanaian government’s action. Will the ban on Tilapia fish be another failed drastic action by the already under-fire government or will it as hoped bring the desired results of local aquaculture boom, economic growth and thousands of jobs? Only time will tell.
2013 Ventures Africa