The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hon. Emelia Arthur (MP), has emphasized the need for global cooperation in fisheries management to ensure food security, economic prosperity, and regional peace.
She made this call at the International Conference on Fisheries and Stability: A Global Issue?, held at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra.
The global fisheries sector faces significant challenges. According to the FAO’s State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024 report, 35% of fish stocks are now overexploited, more than triple the figure recorded in 1974.
In West Africa, challenges such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, marine pollution, and climate change threaten not only livelihoods but also national stability. IUU fishing alone accounts for up to 40% of total catches in the region, costing economies over USD 2.3 billion annually.
Hon. Arthur noted that fisheries play a critical role in livelihoods and nutrition globally, with fish providing over 20% of animal protein intake for more than three billion people worldwide. In Ghana, the sector sustains nearly three million citizens and remains a cornerstone of the national economy.
Ghana has taken steps to address these challenges. The recent passage of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146), and the Fisheries (Port State Measures) Regulations, 2024 (L.I. 2490), are key steps in strengthening governance. The country is also advancing plans to introduce electronic monitoring systems on all industrial trawl vessels and to procure additional patrol boats in partnership with the Navy and Marine Police.
The Minister emphasized that legislation and enforcement would only succeed if operators across both the artisanal and industrial subsectors commit to voluntary compliance.
At the regional and global level, Ghana continues to work through the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC), the African Union’s 2050 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy, and multilateral frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Hon. Arthur urged participants to use the Accra conference as a platform to deepen dialogue, reinforce partnerships, and develop actionable strategies to connect sustainable fisheries with regional peace and prosperity.
The three-day conference is expected to conclude with a communiqué outlining joint commitments and practical steps for addressing fisheries challenges within the Gulf of Guinea and beyond.
