Women in Ghana’s fisheries sector are being encouraged to take up more leadership and decision-making roles as stakeholders push for greater inclusion and empowerment within fishing communities.
The call was made during a community dialogue organized by the Global Fisheries and Resilience Action (GFRA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture for women in the Shama fishing community.
Held under the theme, “Women Supporting Women: Strengthening Women Inclusion and Opportunities in the Fisheries Sector,” the engagement brought together women fish processors, traders and other stakeholders to discuss challenges confronting women in the industry and explore opportunities for growth.
Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture and Member of Parliament for Shama, Emelia Arthur, said the initiative forms part of efforts to empower women to actively participate in decision-making while identifying opportunities within the sector despite ongoing challenges in the fishing industry.
“This engagement is about women supporting women and also inclusion of women in the fisheries sector. But importantly, how to support women identify opportunities within the sector with the challenges that we are going through,” she stated.
Director for Gender, Youth and Inclusion Work at GFRA, Baviina Safia Musah, emphasized the need to strengthen the leadership capacity of women in fishing communities.
According to her, GFRA has over the years worked closely with women in the fisheries sector to improve their businesses and enhance their contribution to the industry.
“At GFRA, we understand that these women are the backbone of the fisheries sector and so we have over the years worked very closely to build their leadership and improve their businesses to help contribute to the sector,” she emphasized.
Madam Baviina Safia Musah also raised concerns over increasing cases of domestic violence, exploitation and child labour within some fishing communities, attributing the situation partly to declining fish catch and economic hardship.
“We are observing a lot of domestic violence with different forms of exploitation involving young girls in the sector which we need to find solutions to. One of the sad ones are the use of child labour to supplement family income and there are important conversations we need to continue to have,” she stressed.
Stakeholders at the dialogue further called for sustained collaboration, policy support and continuous community engagement to help protect vulnerable groups and improve the livelihoods of women within Ghana’s fisheries sector.
Source: Hajia Fati Kari/Empire FM/Takoradi
