Chairman of the Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament, Dr. Godfred Seidu Jasaw, is advocating a major reset of Ghana’s fisheries sector, warning that the country risks losing both a vital industry and an irreplaceable way of life if urgent reforms are not pursued.
Addressing Parliament in statement on Friday November 21, to commemorate World Fisheries Day 2025, Dr. Jasaw highlighted the alarming decline in fish stocks, worsening marine degradation, and the deepening economic vulnerability of artisanal fishers and fishmongers.
“Mr. Speaker, the fisheries sector is at a crossroads. If we do not act decisively, we risk not only the collapse of a vital industry but the erosion of a way of life,” he cautioned.
Dr. Jasaw, who is also the Member of Parliament for Wa East, emphasised the need to recognise and empower traditional leaders and fishmongers as key partners in sustainable fisheries management. He called for their roles—particularly those of chief fishermen—to be formalised in fisheries legislation.
“Chief fishermen are not relics of the past but vanguards of the future,” he noted, urging government to restore and retool their contributions to sector governance.
He further underscored the crucial role of fishmongers, most of whom are women, pointing out their limited access to credit, markets, and financing. “To reset fisheries, we must elevate fishmongers from the margins to the mainstream,” he argued, proposing the creation of cooperatives and revolving funds tailored to their needs.
Dr. Jasaw also pressed for bold policy shifts and institutional reforms, including the full operationalisation of the new Fisheries Act (Act 1146), which prioritises aquaculture as a means of supplementing declining marine stocks.
The lawmaker called on government to adopt a multi-sectoral approach, saying, “Mr Speaker, we should lead by example by honouring our traditional leaders not just in ceremony, but in strategy and in action.”
