Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Wednesday deplored the poor sanitary conditions along the country’s coast line.
He said sanitation along the country’s coast was very poor especially along areas around the oil find.
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah was launching “Hen Mpoano, Our Coast, Our Future” a 64-page publication on “Building Capacity for Adapting to a Rapidly Changing Coastal Zone” which tackles issues of fishing along the coastal belt of the Western Region in Accra.
He noted that the level of insanitary conditions along the beaches were hindering development of the fishing industry and urged the people along the coast to desist from acts that would adversely affect their health.
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah called on all stakeholders to position themselves strategically in relation to the oil find, to enable the country achieve its target in future.
Mr Peter Argo, Deputy Mission Director of USAID, said the publication sought to improve the sustainable management of the coastal fishing sector to enhance food security and livelihoods of the fishing communities.
He said it would guide implementation in building the capacity of coastal communities to adapt to the rapidly changing conditions in the six coastal districts of the Western Region.
Mr Argo stated that the publication would provide an excellent foundation for engaging broad and diverse set of stakeholders to become active partners in the fishery process.
He noted that currently fish harvests during the peak season had reduced resulting in low incomes for both fishermen and fishmongers with the country’s annual requirement estimated at about 880,000 tonnes, but now achieving about 420,000 tonnes.
“Ghana is facing a serious challenge in obtaining the required quantities of fish for domestic consumption”, he said.
Mr Argo urged all stakeholders to make good use of the publication to provide an effective account of the many activities, challenges and opportunities in the coastal community.
Awulae Annor Adjaye, Paramount Chief of Western Nzema, said the Western Region like the vast majority of the world’s coastal zones was being transformed globally primarily by the forces of global market.
He noted that market prices did not include cost of reducing fish stock in damaging the habitat, waste disposal, pollution and other ecological costs, adding “the publication could be described as the encyclopaedia of the Western Coast”.
Awulae Annor Adjaye entreated all stakeholders to collaborate to provide the needed resources to explore the costal belt.
Alhaji Jallow, Senior Fisheries Officer, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, said the publication sought to contribute to improve governance with the Ghanaian society so that the socio-economic benefits from these coastal resources would be optimized and sustained.
He said problems of the fishing industry could be solved depending on the good analysis of the governance issue raised by the publication.
Alhaji Jallow said it would in addition assist government in achieving its development objectives of poverty reduction, food security, sustainable fisheries management and biodiversity conservation.