The smokeless oven also known as “Ahotor Oven” was introduced by the Sustainable Fisheries Management Project (SFMP) after a research by the Fish Research Institute (FRI) and approved by the Foods and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ghana Standard Authority (GSA).

   Madam Gifty Baaba Asmah, the Executive Director of Daasgift Quality Foundation, a financial NGO, made the call at the commissioning of “Ahotor Oven” in Shama, in the Western Region, on Tuesday.

She urged fish processors to patronise the oven in view of its economic benefits, adding that it saves fish processors 40 percent of the cost of firewood used for processing fish and prevent them from inhaling smoke.

She said the oven had already been introduced to fish processors in Elmina and Winneba in the Central Region, and the NGO had been educating fish processors in the Shama District and Nzema East Municipality as well as other coastal communities in the Region to embrace the innovation for the sake of their health and safety.

Madam Asmah assured them that the SFMP would pay 30 percent of the cost of the oven, which stood at GHc1, 500.00 and that the NGO was collaborating with GN Bank, which would provide loans to interested fish processors to purchase the oven.

Madam Asmah advised fish processors to strictly adhere to personal hygiene during fish processing, by keeping their surroundings clean, keeping the fishes in an iced-box and wear gloves and other protective gear.

Nana Kwesi Akon, District Chief Fisherman, said fish was one of the most traded commodities in the world and constituted more than 60 percent of animal protein consumed by many people and, therefore, encouraged fishmongers to embrace the technology to safeguard their health and that of their consumers.

He called on the District Assembly to give financial assistance to the fish mongers who were ready to acquire the Ahotor Oven, this he noted, would help the women to provide quality fish for both the local and international markets.

 He commended SFMP and Daasgift for introducing the Ahotor Oven to fish mongers in the Western Region and encouraged all fishmongers in the Region to patronise the Oven.

Nana Akon urged them to always observe fire safety measures any time they used the oven to avoid any domestic fire.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the “Feed the Future” initiative introduced by the US President Barack Obama, to reduce poverty and hunger in Africa, thus committed funds towards the implementation of the Sustainable Fisheries Management Project in 2014.

The project, among other things, aimed at rebuilding the marine fish stocks through the adoption of sustainable fishing practices and exploitation levels.

The fishing industry offers more than two million indirect jobs to Ghanaians and contributed as much as 4.5 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at some point in time.