President Akufo-Addo has commissioned a 12 million Dollar, state-of-the-art National Aquaculture Centre and Commercial Farms on Thursday, June 8, 2023, at Amrahia, in the Greater Accra region.
The key project, which according to the President, reinforces government’s determination and commitment to the growth of the fisheries and aquaculture sector, follows the commissioning of the 86 million Euros Elmina Fishing Harbour, by the President last week.
Ghana’s fisheries and aquaculture sub-sector, employs some 3 million people representing 20percent of the nation’s workforce along the entire value chain, contributes about 60 percent of the nation’s protein needs and 11 percent of GDP on Agriculture.
With the country earning some 254 Million USD from the export of fish and fish products, fast depleting marine stock due to significant threats in the form of pollution, biodiversity loss, ocean dumping, over fishing and other maritime threats including over-exploitation, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, piracy and trafficking, has a severely negative toll on food security prospects, critical infrastructure and the entire marine eco-system.
According to President Akufo-Addo, addressing the challenge of dwindling catches from the sea and increasing demand for fish, government in recognition of the potential of the aquaculture sub-sector in 2019, granted approval and cut the sod in September 2021 for the implementation of the Greenhouse Aquaculture Technology system to help increase domestic fish production, to increase expertise in aquaculture and to create jobs for the youth.
Representing a significant boost to government’s employment creation resolve, the aim of the centre, is to produce quality food products through the training of the local population as fish farmers, with emphasis on graduates from our universities amd will complement the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development's programme on Aquaculture for Food and Jobs.
He noted that, “as water bodies dry up and become polluted due to human activities, and as the pressure on land acquisition increases, modernisation of Acquaculture must involve the utilisation of less space and water, but increase productivity at the same time.”
“One such modern technology that has these attributes, is the Re-circulating Aquaculture System (RAS), which is being employed by the centre I am commissioning today. Not only does this system offer minimum maintenance cost, and relatively low to moderate energy consumption, it also guarantees the production of healthy and export-ready products. It will thus ensure the production of some 25 metric tonnes of tilapia, 25 metric tonnes of catfish, and 4 metric tonnes of prawns annually. This will ultimately mean an increase in fish production, a reduction in fish imports, and the enrichment of local capacity and technical knowhow through the training of youth at the centre,” he explained.
President Akufo-Addo called for the meticulous management of the centre to achieve its purpose of training modern fish farmers and also produce fish in high quantities to generate sufficient income to sustain the centre and augment the total fish production in the country.
On behalf of the Ghanaian people, the President expressed gratitude to the chiefs and people of Amrahia and Amanfrom, for their support and cooperation during the construction of the project and encouraged the student trainees to persevere and help shape the development of the potentially lucrative sector.
On her part, the hardworking sector Minister, Hon. Hawa Koomson, said the Ministry has prepared a new Ghana National Aquaculture Development Plan which upon implementation, will improve production from 89,376 metric tonnes in 2021 to 211, 697 metric tonnes by the end of 2027.