The Ministry of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation, and the Food and Agricultural Organization(FAO) have signed an agreement aimed at providing support under a technical cooperation programme on oceans and fisheries in Ada and Keta Lagoon.
According to the ministry, the move will aid in the sustainable management of the country’s ecosystem as well as improve the livelihoods of people living in and around communities in the wetlands.
Speaking to Citi Business News after the signing ceremony, Minister of Science Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng said the cooperation between his ministry and the Food and Agricultural Organization will further help fight the menace of illegal fishing in the country.
“That will help us because if we use the wrong methods of fishing it goes against us and it will also help us in aquaculture with people doing fish farming and so on ,so we guide them on the right way to do it so that the chemicals from the farms are not diverted to the lagoons because some of them contain anti biotics which eventually comes back to us,” he said.
Also present at the signing was Food and Agricultural Organization Regional Programme Leader for Africa, Dr. Abebe Haile Gabriel.
He said that the FAO would continue to support the ministry in its agenda whenever called upon.
“It will be recalled that few years ago the FAO supported the efforts of the Government through the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology to assess the issues affecting major lagoons in Ghana with respect to forestry and fishing resources and we will continue to help,” he noted
He added that previous assessment has helped them identify certain gaps and challenges associated with sustainable management of wetland resources.
“It is based on these findings that the government of Ghana requested the support of FAO to provide technical assistance aimed at promoting sustainable management of wetland resources for better ecosystems and livelihoods of Keta and Ada coastal communities in the Greater Accra Region”
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By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana