The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture , Emelia Arthur, has launched a six-day nationwide tour of inland fisheries communities with a strong policy direction: public investments must deliver results or be fixed or replaced.
Beginning in the Dangme East Zone, the Minister inspected an abandoned ice-making plant in the Ningo-Prampram District, established in 2012 but now non-operational, without electricity or management. She directed an immediate technical audit to determine whether the facility should be rehabilitated or decommissioned.
At the Lower Prampram Landing Beach, the Minister commended fishers for adhering to regulations and rejecting illegal practices, while they appealed for a safer landing site due to high tides. The District Chief Executive, Raphael Uriel Nartey, joined the engagement.
The tour continued to the Ada East District, where the Minister met clam harvesters and processors alongside the Member of Parliament, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah. Stakeholders highlighted challenges including limited access to credit, inadequate premix fuel supply, lack of outboard motors, and the absence of modern processing and market facilities.
The economic importance of the clam industry was underscored. At Agorkpo, about 60 canoes and 150 fishers operate, while Kponkpo has 110 canoes and 225 fishers. More than 200 women are engaged in processing, with some directly involved in harvesting. Across 14 communities along the Volta River, including Azizanya, Pediatorkope, and Azizakpe, inland fisheries support the harvest of tilapia, catfish, grey mullet, shrimps, and crabs.
Clam fishing alone provides direct employment for about 500 people and over 700 indirectly. During peak periods, up to 50 canoes land clams daily, each with about 60 sacks. Weekly landings reach approximately 18,000 sacks—about 1.62 million kilograms—valued between GH₵1.35 million and GH₵2.25 million.
Stakeholders also raised concerns over increasing land reclamation and the sale of waterfront lands in clam production areas, warning of serious threats to critical habitats and the sustainability of the industry.
The Minister reaffirmed that all concerns raised will inform discussions at the upcoming Inland Fisheries Conference, emphasizing that policy decisions must reflect the realities of fishing communities.
The tour will continue across the Volta, Oti, Bono East, Savanna, and Ashanti Regions, focusing on infrastructure, stakeholder engagement, and sustainable development of inland fisheries.
