President of the Canoe and Fishing Gears Owners Association, Nana Kweigyah, has called on the flag bearer and leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, to implement a comprehensive social security policy for members of the fishing industry if he wins the December 2024 elections.
During Mahama’s visit to the Tema Fishing Community on Saturday, Nana Kweigyah highlighted the difficult conditions faced by fishers upon retirement or in the event of accidents at sea.
He urged Mahama to extend the proposed social security policy for Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) members to the fishing community and to provide insurance for fishers in case of accidents.
Nana Kweigyah also criticized the politicization and discrimination in the distribution of premix fuel and outboard motors to fishermen, advocating for the reinstatement of the Premix Fuel Committee under an NDC government in 2025.
He stressed the dire sanitation conditions at landing beaches, which are plagued with plastic waste and pose significant hazards to the fishing community.
Representatives from various regions, other associations in the fishing industry, and chief fishermen voiced concerns about the adverse effects of the closed season on artisanal fishers.
In his response, Mahama reminisced about his interactions with the artisanal fishing community during his tenure as vice president and president.
He pledged to reestablish the Landing Beach Committee, promote youth participation in beach sanitation, and enforce the exclusive zone policy with assistance from the Ghana Navy.
Mahama assured that an NDC government would “exempt artisanal fishers from the closed-season policy” and complete the National Fisheries College, a project initiated by the late President John Atta Mills, to ensure that fishing industry members receive appropriate training and can work more effectively.