Ghana’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Development Minister has called for stronger policies to protect and empower women in the country’s fisheries sector, warning that declining fish stocks, illegal fishing, and climate change are pushing fishing households deeper into poverty and threatening the welfare of women and children.
Minister Emelia Arthur made the call at a community dialogue organised by the Global Fisheries and Resilience Action (GFRA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture in Shama, Western Region, under the theme “Women Supporting Women: Strengthening Women Inclusion and Opportunities in the Fisheries Sector.”
“60 percent of Ghana’s animal protein comes from fish, and that is significant,” the minister said, adding that about three million Ghanaians depend on the fisheries value chain for their livelihoods, with women comprising the majority of those engaged across the sector.
Arthur said the sector is grappling with fish stock depletion driven largely by illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and climate change, and called for stronger compliance with fisheries regulations. She directed district assemblies to establish fisheries and aquaculture subcommittees and work with chief fishermen and traditional authorities to make traditional fishing holidays legally enforceable. “If you are caught fishing on Tuesday, which is a traditional fishing holiday, then you will have to answer to the law,” she warned.
The minister also announced plans for the construction of a fishing harbour and a modern fish market in Shama, with feasibility studies already underway for the proposed harbour, which is expected to support economic activities and improve conditions for fishing communities.
Baviina Safia Musah, Director for Gender, Youth and Inclusion at the Ghana Fisheries Recovery Activity, said the pressures on fish stocks over the past two decades have hit women and children hardest, with declining catches increasing domestic tension, fuelling domestic violence, driving child labour, and pushing girls out of school. “They are the ones that turn the fish into food and into family income, so it is important that they are part of every fisheries conversation,” she said.
Ms. Musah also highlighted provisions in the newly passed Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 2025 aimed at increasing women’s representation in fisheries governance and improving sector infrastructure.
