Watchdog Says Ghana’s Fisheries On Brink Of Collapse
Per the government’s Fisheries Management Plan, the country’s fishery can sustain 48 trawlers, yet, 76 trawlers licensed at the end of 2019.
Ghana continues to see large quantities of fish landed by Saiko canoes at Elmina Fishing Harbor, even after the government and the fishing industry committed to ending the practice last November, the GNCFC said.
The Saiko trade – where trawlers illegally target the main catch of canoe fishers, transfer it at sea to specially adapted boats, and sell the stolen fish back to local communities – took an estimated 100,000 tons of fish in 2017.
As Chinese trawlers arrive
Although a moratorium on new fishing vessels by the Fisheries Commission, three new trawlers have arrived in Ghana from China and have been registered to the Ghanaian flag, the Environmental Justice Foundation, said.
The new vessels Yu Feng 1, 3, and 4, according to the Environmental Justice Foundation were built in China in 2016 and flying the Chinese flag before arriving in Ghana. They are now docked at Tema, registered under the Ghanaian flag, and awaiting licensing by the Fisheries Commission.
Per the government’s Fisheries Management Plan, the country’s fishery can sustain 48 trawlers, yet, 76 trawlers licensed at the end of 2019.
To protect Ghana’s food security and local livelihoods, especially in these worrying times of COVID-19, the government must ensure that the industrial fleet is a sustainable size. Ghana’s National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC) has since written to the Fisheries Commission opposing any decision to grant the vessel licenses to fish in Ghana’s waters.
The country is already confronting major challenges controlling vessels with existing licenses in Ghana.
Ghana continues to see large quantities of fish landed by Saiko canoes at Elmina Fishing Harbor, even after the government and the fishing industry committed to ending the practice last November, the GNCFC said.
The Saiko trade – where trawlers illegally target the main catch of canoe fishers, transfer it at sea to specially adapted boats, and sell the stolen fish back to local communities – took an estimated 100,000 tons of fish in 2017.
Meaning only 40 percent of catches were caught legally and reported to the government that year. An issue requires urgent scientific re-assessment! Ghana’s fish populations are already in dire straits. Landings of ‘Sardinella have crashed by around 80% over the past twenty years.
As well as targeting the staple catch of the canoe fishers, small pelagic fish that include Sardinella, EJF revealed that the vast majority of fish traded through Saiko are juveniles. The watchdog said, this extremely worrying. The young fish are crucial to population recovery.
In Ghana, over 90 percent of industrial trawl vessels are linked to Chinese ownership, despite a prohibition on foreign ownership in Ghana’s industrial trawl sector, set out in Section 47 of the 2002 Fisheries Act, Act 625.
According to EJF’s Executive Director Steve Trent, over-capacity in the fishing fleet in Ghana is driving a crisis that will decimate livelihoods and food security in coastal communities. Ensuring all fishing is legal, ethical, and sustainable is more important as the world reels from the impact of COVID-19. Communities will need these resources more than ever. “The Fisheries Commission has the chance to do the right thing: heed scientific advice, refuse these trawlers a license and protect Ghana’s fisheries and its people,” he added.
Power and Industrialization Drive
President Akufo-Addo’s administration has set an ambitious district industrialization agenda, known as the One district One factory policy, which his government intends to achieve to move Ghana from one that exports raw materials to a value-added industrialized economy.
One district One factory policy
Akufo-Addo - President, The Republic of Ghana
The Nana Akufo-Addo’s government has given assurance to industry and manufacturers its determination in stabilizing electricity supply as the government continues to implement proactive measures to solve the current crisis.
President Akufo-Addo’s administration has set an ambitious district industrialization agenda, known as the One district One factory policy, which his government intends to achieve to move Ghana from one that exports raw materials to a value-added industrialized economy.
Key areas need critical attention if the government could meet this target bringing factories to all 216 districts across the country’s 16 administrative regions is a cheaper and reliable energy source.
The government has already released GH¢465 million for the commencement of the project. It has also released GH¢256 million for the revamping of 100 private commercially viable and distressed companies throughout the country. Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta during the 2019 Budget Presentation in Parliament stated government has so far disbursed GH¢227 million as a stimulus package to support various distressed companies, and that additional funds will be disbursed to support other distressed companies next year. 79 factories in 9 regions of the country should be at various stages of construction or operation under the '1D1F' scheme is expected.
Industrialization agenda
Ghana has not had it easy when it comes to the cost industry pay for a power outage. The Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) which conducted a study on the impact of the four-year power crisis that hit Ghana revealed that 885 small and medium-sized manufacturing firms in Accra, Tema, Kumasi, and Sekondi-Takoradi lost GH¢250 million within the period. The productivity of these firms fell as many were using generators as an alternative source of power.
Additionally, the power outages, to a large extent, led to a 10 percent fall in monthly productivity of those firms, with as many as 55 of such businesses folding up in the four locations of the country.
Ghana’s economy, like any other economy in the world, depends on local production and export goods and services, thus industrialization. For many industries in the West African country, energy supply is a major challenge. Players in the sector have been complaining about the intermittent power outage they sometimes experience. A situation that in the past cost many job layoffs.
The Nana Akufo Addo’s government has given assurance to industry and manufacturers its determination in stabilizing electricity supply as the government continues to implement proactive measures to solve the current situation.
The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) in a communiqué after its National Council Retreat this year said they are resolved to continue making input into the electricity tariff negotiations with the country’s utility regulator, Public Utility Regulatory Commission, and appropriate agencies to ensure competitive tariffs for Industry.
The industry is expecting reliability and efficiency in service delivery and competitive tariffs from the new company—Power Distribution Service (PDS) taken operations in the distribution network in southern Ghana. AGI recognizes the need for a tariff structured in a manner the service providers can recover cost to remain viable.
Ghana is in the category of countries with high energy cost in the sub-region and for the industry to remain competitive industry sector players have called on the government to review the electricity tariff.
It is therefore right to say that a high cost of energy leads to a high cost of production; and will subsequently make Ghana unattractive for the setting up of factories thus generating a consistent increase in imports. This explains why locally-produced goods more expensive than the same imported goods in spite of the high duty charges at our various ports of entry.
UNIDO to boost industrial development
The government, in terms of urgency, must explore other cost-effective forms of energy like solar, bio-energy, nuclear, and wind energy to enhance Ghana’s business destination for West Africa.
Ghana’s total installed generator capacity at the end of 2016 was 3,795 MW with proportions as follows; 57.8 percent thermal, 41.6 percent hydro and 0.6 percent renewable.
Most thermal facilities run on natural gas (a cheaper fuel source compared to liquid fuels) as the primary fuel source, with the exception CENIT Power Plant and the Karpowership power plant, which depend solely on liquid fuels (LCO/DFO and HFO respectively). Makes natural gas supply very crucial for the effective operation of Ghana’s electricity sector. The West African Gas Pipeline transporting natural gas from Nigeria, is the major supplier of natural gas for generating electricity until the commissioning of the Atuabo gas processing facility, owner of the Ghana Gas Company in 2015. Gas supply has not been reliable with the Nigerians citing non-payment of debt as the major reason.
The Atuabo gas processing facility is capable of supplying up to 150 Mscf per day to the western power generation enclave at the Aboadze thermal facility with supplies from the Jubilee oil fields. Plans are underway to process natural gas from the Tweneboa, Enyenra, Ntomme (TEN) oil fields to augment supplies from the Jubilee fields and make Ghana self-sufficient. However, the Tema thermal power enclave still depends on natural gas supply through the WAGP.
The Atuabo gas processing facility is capable of supplying up to 150 Mscf/d (abbreviation for a thousand standard cubic feet per day, a common measure for volume of gas) to the western power generation enclave at the Aboadze thermal facility with supplies from the Jubilee oil fields. Plans are underway to process natural gas from the Tweneboa, Enyenra, Ntomme (TEN) oil fields to augment supplies from the Jubilee fields and make Ghana self-sufficient. However, the Tema thermal power enclave still depends on natural gas supply through the WAGP.
Huge investment to increase the power-generation capacity of the country. More power plants have also been constructed to increase the supply of power in the country. These include Takoradi Thermal Power Plant, Takoradi T3 Plant, Tema T1 Power Plant, Mines Reserve Plant, Tema T2 Plant, and the Kpone Thermal Plant. Notwithstanding the efforts made by successive governments to expand power generation capacity, the country is still far from becoming power sufficient.
The government of Ghana is still pursuing policies to improve the shortcomings in the power sector.
The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCA) plans to invest a maximum of US$498 million in total to help transform the power sector of Ghana and also stimulate private investment over the next five years. The objective is to create a power sector, which is financially viable, and be able to meet the current needs as well as the future needs for both businesses and households.