By Jesse Ampah Owusu
Accra, April 26, GNA – The Ghana National Canoe Fishermen Council (GNCFC), and the Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CAFGOAG), have called for an effective system for reporting all incidents at sea through a collaborative mechanism between fishers and authorities.
The group have explained that many incidents happened at sea, but due to inadequate reporting mechanisms in place, such incidents were not taken up for appropriate redress or action.
Nana Jojo Solomon, President of GNCFC, who read a communique on behalf of the group at the end of a two-day capacity building workshop on the International Labour Organisation’s Work in Fishing Convention (C.188), called for targeted awareness-creation efforts to educate Ghanaian fishers and canoe owners on their role in ensuring safety and decency in the small-scale fishing sector.
The workshop was organised by the Friends of the Nation and ProSea Marine Education, with support from the International Fund for Fishing Safety in Accra, and brought together relevant stakeholders in the fisheries sector.
It sensitised stakeholders on the provisions in the C.188 that were of importance to ensuring decent working conditions for small-scale fishers in Ghana.
They included written work agreement; care after injury; medical advice and treatment ashore; safely manned canoes and sufficient rest for fishers; training programmes; incident reporting; risk evaluation and hazard prevention.
“This platform will facilitate a dialogue on the importance of C.188 and identify best practices for its effective implementation, ultimately ensuring the safety of fishers and the long-term sustainability of Ghana’s fisheries resources,” Nana Solomon said.
The communique called for the improvement of working conditions of fishers and implementation of social security mechanisms for them, to make the sector an appealing career choice for the next generation.
It said the provisions in the C.188 were crucial to the safety and well-being of fishers, and so authorities should take steps towards its effective implementation.
“Just as the Convention allows room for gradual implementation, we believe applying it to the small-scale sector should also take a gradual approach with effective stakeholder conversations, given recognition to existing arrangements within the operations of small-scale fishing in Ghana,” it added.
Earlier at the workshop, Ms Anita Boateng Ameyaw, Project Coordinator of Friends of the Nation, said the event was to empower fishers to take charge of their security and safety on and off shore.
“The main aim of the project is to empower these small-scale fishers to prioritise their safety and wellbeing at sea through education and sensitisation on the ILO C.188.
“The current state of the working conditions of artisanal fishers requires critical attention by all relevant stakeholders given the numerous risks fishers are exposed to at sea,” she said.
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