Ghana’s fishing industry accounts for about 4.5% to the country’s annual GDP and brings revenue worth $1 billion in a year. It indirectly supports over 2 million people to earn their livelihood and 10% of Ghana’s population is engaged in fishing.
The wave of COVID-19 pandemic which is lashing the shores of every country in the world has brought untold worries and concerns across industries and Ghana’s fishing industry is bearing the brunt too. Further, according to the Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC), the number of fishing vessels has exceeded the maximum sustainable limit of vessels by a sizeable proportion. This has led to decry the influx of foreign-based trawlers which can cause a serious unhealthy competition for the fishing communities of Ghana.
However, the gills of development are providing some amount of oxygen to the fishery business. The upcoming Jamestown Fishing Complex is envisaged to encourage the country’s fishing industry. Its contractor in an interview with Xinhua says that the completion of the project (anticipated in February 2023) can fetch a trading volume of 20,000 metric tons of fish. Over 1000 local fishermen can ply their trade and berth over 400 fishing vessels in the port.