This report details a pilot of the MEL4SSF in Ghana: 42 officials and SSF leaders were interviewed, 13 focus group discussions (FGDs) with 227 participants were conducted; and over 20 major legislative and policy documents were reviewed. The pilot prioritized pre-identified key indicators of relevance; and offers useful lessons and recommendations for improving the MEL4SSF.
On the whole, the pilot study was positively received by SSF stakeholders as they could relate to the principles and issues. They noted that both the MEL Handbook and Indicators cover the relevant issues that need to be addressed in the small-scale sector. A summary of the prioritized indicators of relevance, from the five the MEL4SSF thematic chapters, is highlighted below.
With respect to tenure rights and governance; existing legislation and policies generally recognize SSF. The Co-Management Policy of 2020 represents the most significant milestone in SSF rights in Ghana and lays the foundation for compliance with the SSF Guidelines. The SSF stakeholders placed high priorities on: the need for legal recognition of customary tenure rights; sale of shore lands for real estate/tourism development; non-inclusion of SSF interest in third-party resource agreements; frequent incursions into the Inshore Exclusive Zone (IEZ) and weakening grievance and conflict resolution mechanisms. Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) (also known as saiko) fishing; dangerous fishing practices; denial of access to fishing grounds and inadequate information on co-management implementation plans were also highly prioritized.