@FAOGhana/David Youngs

Contributing significantly to food and nutrition security, sustainable livelihood and poverty eradication in the fishing communities in Ghana.

Despite the risk and labour intensive nature of their work, small-scale fishers, fish farmers, and fish processors provide healthy and nutritious food to billions of people across the world and contribute to achieving the Sustainable Goal.

In Ghana fish plays a major component in the diet of many families. The average Ghanaian consumes about 24kg of fish annually, which is higher than the world’s average of 16kg, making it evident that fish is the principal source of low-cost protein.

Promoting constructive interaction between the different stakeholders of the small-scale fisheries and aquaculture sectors is crucial to the sustainability of the sector.

At the National launch of IYAFA 2022, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Mavis Hawa Koomson MP said Ghana is taking steps to protect fisheries resources, ensure recovery of the overexploited fish stock and accelerate growth in the aquaculture sub-sector.

“Additionally beginning 2022, the ministry is instituting an annual National Fish Festival to celebrate fishers, fish farmers, processors, and traders and create awareness on value-added fish products”.

IYAFA 2022 is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of small-scale artisanal fisheries and aquaculture, including women and youth.

The celebration is to acknowledge the highly varied nature of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture and the many different actors along the value chain, as well as the major contribution that both make to global food security, nutrition and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In recognition, IYAFA 2022 will serve as a platform to strengthen partnerships all over the world. It is also an important opportunity to advance the implementation of relevant normative instruments, such as the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication.

“As we help to celebrate our artisanal fishermen and also empower them, this will help reduce Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and post-harvest losses and strengthen stakeholders to sustainably manage the sector”. Said Ndiaga Gueye officer in charge of the FAO office in Ghana.

FAO support to the fisheries sector in Ghana

Ghana is one of the countries that benefited under the FAO-NORAD “Enhancing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to food security and sustainable livelihood through better policies strategies and initiatives”

Over five hundred fishers have been sensitized on Covid- 19 and its related protocols to enabled them to carry out their livelihood activities while adjusting to the Covid - 19 situation. The project also enhanced the capacities of government officials to address key small-scale fisheries governance issues using holistic and participatory methods. This will create an enabling environment for the implementation of the SSF Guidelines. The simplified version of the SSF Guidelines has been translated into Ghanaian languages for easy understanding of the objectives and principles of the guidelines as a tool for further development of the sector. The FAO is also supporting a National Strategy and action plan to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing in Ghana.

The Fao Thiaroye Technology FTT, which is an improved smoking kiln has also been introduced to the Ghanaian fisherfolk to reduce post-harvest losses.

 IYAFA2020

In 2017 the 72nd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture with the FAO serving as the lead agency, in collaboration with other relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations system.

It is the vision of IYAFA for a world in which small-scale artisanal fishers, fish farmers and fish workers, are fully recognized and empowered to continue their contributions to human well-being, healthy food systems and poverty eradication through the responsible and sustainable use of fisheries and aquaculture resources.

IYAFA 2022 aims to raise awareness of the role of small-scale fisheries and aquaculture, strengthen science-policy interaction, empower stakeholders to take action and build new and strengthen existing partnerships. IYAFA 2022 can also act as a springboard towards implementing the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and related documents, like the Voluntary Guidelines and take concrete actions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as we enter the last decade of action to achieve the 2030 Agenda.