Who Controls Ghana’s fishing Industry: Ghanaians or the Chinese?

Whether you travel to the Northern, Western or the far Eastern Regions of Ghana, certain things are a constant.

They include, Kenkey spot at a bus station, a banner with the headings “Banku & Tilapia” and lots more that all depend on one essential ingredient: fish.

According to a 2016 report (warfp.gov.gh), an average of 440,000 tons of fish are produced locally each year, representing over US$1 billion dollars annually in revenue.

On an overall national economic term, the country’s fisheries sub-sector accounts for approximately 4.5% of Ghana’s GDP and provides employment (direct and indirect) for about 2.5 million people in the economy.

More so, from its highest of about US$120 million in 2003, the industry generates over US$44 million yearly in export earnings.

However, the contention here is not with the economic potential of this agricultural sub-sector but who exactly is in charge of it.

A recent industry report has it that over 70% of local fish production are done by foreigners, more specifically the Chinese. The rationale behind this being that local fishermen don’t have enough vessels or equipment for large-scale fishing.

In an effort to remedy the situation, some of the fishing firms reach out to these foreign partners for aids in financing or equipment in exchange for a stake in Ghana’s waters.  

While many regard this as a welcomed development to have such a significant foreign investment in the fishing sub-sector, it is equally a source of concern for others who argue that it is only a matter of time before the country runs out of aquatic life unless there is a proper regulation of fishing activities.

Furthermore, Ghana’s fishery is at the moment focused on just ‘catching and exporting’. There is the potential to generate over US$200 million dollars in revenue if each aspect of the product’s value chain is effectively explored.

So in effect, instead of just a raw material that is exchanged for pennies as compared to their value, they could be processed into tin foods, better utilized in the pharmaceutical industry, among others.

Finally, to achieve that potential and increase the stake of local players in the sub-sector, there is also the need for increased public-private partnership through the introduction of government regulations as well as investments to boost their capacity in production and those of the nation’s entrepreneurs in developing food products that rely on fish for raw material.