{"id":1698,"date":"2019-03-08T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldfishing.nfdtesting.uk\/icefish-conference\/2019\/03\/08\/ghanas-fishing-industry-needs-womens-voices\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T23:34:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T22:34:16","slug":"ghanas-fishing-industry-needs-womens-voices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/news\/industry-news\/ghanas-fishing-industry-needs-womens-voices\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghana\u2019s fishing industry needs women\u2019s voices"},"content":{"rendered":"

The new report<\/a>, released today on International Women\u2019s Day<\/a>, highlights the powerful roles of women in Ghana\u2019s fisheries. Women own canoes and finance fishing trips by paying for fuel, and in the Greater Accra and Volta regions, women are out on the river with the men, fishing and catching clams.<\/p>\n

The Konkohemaas \u2013 queen fishmongers \u2013 preside at the landing beaches, speaking on behalf of the other women to negotiate the price of fish, or mediate issues with fishermen. By funding fishing trips, women have traditionally secured themselves a portion of the catch. But now, with fish stocks at crisis point, old community relations are fraying, and fish instead go to the highest bidder.<\/p>\n

Women play a key role in the fisheries and stand to lose just as much from the crashing fish stocks, yet they have little control or even input over fishing practices.<\/p>\n

Collective action is required to improve the state of Ghana\u2019s fisheries, the report states, and that means women\u2019s voices are needed in discussions about the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cFully including women in fisherfolk organisations, community meetings, and technical plans is not only fair, but sound judgment, given the scale of the problem facing Ghana\u2019s fisheries,\u201d said EJF\u2019s executive director Steve Trent.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommunities need to move away from destructive practices \u2013 and unify against illegal industrial tactics, such as saiko<\/a>. This kind of behavioural shift requires the widest range of experience and perspectives. Giving a full and equal role in fisheries management is paramount.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recognising that gender equality and environmental regeneration are intimately linked, the Far Dwuma Nk\u0254do Project, initiated by EJF and Hen Mpoano in 2017, has been working with local fishing communities to give marginalised women\u2019s groups a greater say. One such group is the National Fish Processors and Traders Association (NAFPTA), which was formed by the West Africa Regional Fisheries Programme as an important first step in bringing women together to demand better representation.<\/p>\n

Far Dwuma Nk\u0254do\u2019s report<\/a> calls for the strengthening of NAFPTA at both national and community level. Increased use of Village Savings and Loans Associations could create a buffer for the low season and provide emergency relief \u2013 for school fees and sickness costs, for example. Along the beaches, women should be encouraged to become actively involved in the fight against illegal fishing. And crucially, fishing regulations must be closely observed to restore the powers of the Konkohemaas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWomen fisherfolk are a vital part of Ghana\u2019s fisheries,\u201d said Director of Hen Mpoano, Kofi Agbogah.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need their input to create the lasting, sustainable change that will save our fish stocks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Women play a crucial role in Ghana\u2019s fisheries and the current crisis in the country\u2019s fish stocks cannot be fully solved without their input in decision making, says a report released by the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) and partner Hen\u00a0Mpoano.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"sponsor":[],"class_list":["post-1698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-industry-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1698"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1700,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1698\/revisions\/1700"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1698"},{"taxonomy":"sponsor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.worldfishing.net\/icefish-conference\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sponsor?post=1698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}