Tema, Oct. 12, GNA – Mr. Richster Nii Amarh Amarfio, Secretary of the Ghana Tuna Association (GTA), said Ghana needs to train fishing crew to boost the activities of the fishery industry.
He said government needed to understand the activities of the fishery industry and how they operated, by setting up training centres for people to specialized in some aspect of the fishery sector, to improve the human resource at the sector, which would help improved the economy of the country and reduced unemployment in the country.
The Tuna Association, which is among five leading producers of Tuna in the world, currently has 37 tuna vessels made up of 20 poles and line and 17 purses seine on the register of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
Mr Amarfio, who is also the Director of Operations for Laif Fisheries, stated at the “Ghana News Agency-Tema Regional Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue,” which is a media think-tank platform for commercial and business operators to communicate to the world.
He said the lack of fisheries schools in the country, was a major challenge for stakeholders in the industry as sailors on board vessel needed to be certified by the Regional Maritime University because a lot of safety on board was needed, yet no training for them.
Mr. Amarfio appealed to the government not to forsake the fishery sector; the government should empower the citizens to take over and control their own affairs in the fisheries sector, which is capital intensive.
Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of the GNA, said GNA-Tema office branded as the Industrial News Hub, sought to help fill ocean news gap.
“There is the need for better reporting on sea and fisheries issues, as life on the sea affects the general livelihood of people as the level of consumption of fish in the country is large.
“As an Industrial News Hub, GNA-Tema we created a platform for industrial players to use to reach out in a proactive way while serving as grounds to address national issues.
He said it was common knowledge that a lot of things happened at sea and in the fishing industry that the public needed more enlightenment on, therefore the need to engage the GTA to throw light on its sector.
Mr Ameyibor explained that, activities on the sea was one of the most dynamic but under-reported from the media therefore the Agency had created a platform to offer stakeholders news channel to reach out to the world.
GNA