By Laudia Sawer
Tema, Feb. 26, GNA – The Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG) has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to update fishers on the status of premix fuel supply and distribution when he delivers the State of the Nation Address (SONA).
On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, the President will deliver an address on the state of the nation through Parliament in accordance with the 1992 Constitution, during which the citizens will receive reports on the status of the country and the government’s agenda for the coming year, among others.
Nana Kweigyah, President of CaFGOAG, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), on fishers’ expectations, said their request was in line with what the finance minister presented to parliament on the issue in the 2024 budget.
He said: “In paragraph 112 of the 2024 budget, the government indicated providing 110,700,000 litres of premix fuel for artisanal fishers, but we currently do not have premix fuel.”
He said the fishers would therefore like to know the state of affairs in that regard and the government’s plans on improving premix fuel supply and distribution to aid fishing activities in the coastal regions.
He said they would also want to hear something about the closed season and the proposed cash transfer to fishers during the period, stating that in the closed season, there is a temporary loss of fishers’ income and food, resulting in short-term costs to fishers.
Nana Kweigyah described the situation as a serious human rights issue, in that it affects fishers’ rights to social protection, an adequate standard of living, and the highest attainable standards of physical and mental well-being.
He said the distribution of food items during closed seasons suffers discrimination and inequality due to the methods of delivery, and the authorities’ inability to recognise that the food items were adequate and appropriate.
“It is proposed that unconditional cash transfers to fishers, as inclusively as possible and without spending restrictions, will be the fastest and most effective way to assist people during the closed season,” he added.
On the blue economy, he said they expect the president to make known the progress on Ghana’s Blue Economy Policy and Strategies, focusing on the priorities and what support is available for artisanal fishers to participate effectively in the process.
GNA