5 months ago
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The Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has promised stakeholders in the fishing sector that his government will prioritise the industry’s challenges over political affiliations.
He highlighted the concerning trend of partisan politics influencing the allocation of resources to individuals involved in fishing activities.
This, he said, had led to the exclusion of legitimate associations, with distribution decisions being made based on party membership rather than merit.
Mr Mahama condemned the state of affairs last Saturday, when he met the leadership of associations of persons in the fishing industry at Tema Manhean to interact with them to know their concerns and how to assist them effectively if he was elected into office.
“We must eschew politics from the fishing industry and so rest assured that when the NDC comes to power all the things you have complained about will be looked at,” he said.
He stated that his administration would rearrange all Landing Beach Committees and guarantee that they conduct elections free from partisan politics in order to select their leaders.
These leaders, he said, would then be directly engaged, and all fishing resources, such as outboard motors and premix fuel, along with other essential tools required for their work, would be distributed to associations rather than individuals, adding that “this approach ensures equal benefits for all.”
The flagbearer said a Womens’ Bank would be opened to give loan facilities to women associations in the various sectors of the fishing industry to promote their businesses.
He said closed seasons would not affect artisanal fishing because it had been observed that their activities were not harmful to the water and fishes and so only big trawlers and vessels would be bound from operation during the period.
He assured them that the fishermen would be provided with fish finders to facilitate their work to make a bounty harvest to improve their income and lives.
Mr Mahama said the Ghana Navy would be provided with more vessels to intensify their patrol on the waters to prevent the activities of illegal fishing and also stop them from fishing in exclusive zones.
He expressed his worry about the contamination of the beaches and thus proposed the employment of young individuals to ensure the absence of plastic waste along the shoreline.
“We are going to restore the glory days of the fishing industry and be a blessing to all of you. We will provide you with a decent income so that you can look after your communities,” he assured.
The President for the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association, Nana Kweigya, said the association was a non-partisan one and so appealed to all politicians to deal with them as such.
A citation was presented to the flagbearer, Mr Mahama, for what they described as his “unwavering dedication to the welfare of artisanal fishers and the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana”, which they said had significantly improved the lives of countless fishing population.
FROM DZIFA TETTEH TAY, TEMA MANHEAN
