Africa Can and Must Scale Up Sustainable Aquatic Food Production – Emelia Arthur
Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hon. Emelia Arthur, has issued a rallying call for Africa to scale up its sustainable aquatic food production, saying the continent possesses both the untapped capacity and the urgent responsibility to do so.
Speaking before world leaders at the 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in Rome, Madam Arthur aligned Ghana with the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Blue Transformation Agenda, insisting that the global community must turn scientific research into bold, actionable strategies to fight hunger and jumpstart blue economies across developing nations.
“Africa’s aquatic food production should—and can—be increased,” the Minister declared, urging world leaders to back the continent’s fisheries with real capital and technology.
She highlighted the critical role of fish in Ghana’s food security and economy, noting that over 3,000,000 Ghanaians depend directly or indirectly on the fisheries and aquaculture value chain, while aquatic foods provide 60 per cent of total animal protein in the Ghanaian diet, with per capita annual consumption of 20–25 kg.
Madam Arthur disclosed that Ghana recorded 442,000 metric tonnes of marine fish production in 2024, up from about 425,000 metric tonnes in 2023, but warned that freshwater capture fisheries face severe declines due to illegal overfishing, habitat destruction and climate stress.
To reverse the ecological and economic threats, she said Ghana has initiated an aggressive structural overhaul of its marine and freshwater sectors under a “Blue Reset.”
Key milestones outlined by the Minister include the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act, 2025 (Act 1146), enacted to strengthen maritime enforcement, create dedicated aquaculture zones and double the Inshore Exclusion Zone from 6 to 12 nautical miles to protect small-scale artisanal canoes from industrial trawlers.
She also cited the Greater Cape Three Points Marine Protected Area (MPA), established in April 2026, covering 704 square kilometres and safeguarding biodiversity across 21 coastal communities.
Other interventions include accelerated electronic vessel monitoring, closed-season mandates, structured engagement with the European Union via the Ghana-EU IUU Dialogue Process to resolve compliance issues, and a National Plan of Action for Small-Scale Fisheries developed in partnership with the FAO and the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) to expand financial access, technology and market channels for youth and women fish processors.
The Minister said Ghana’s comprehensive 10-year Blue Economy Action Plan positions sustainable aquaculture as the core driver for future job creation, climate resilience and food sovereignty.
She closed her address with an invitation for global partnerships, stressing that West Africa stands ready to prove that rigorous science, tough enforcement and local community empowerment can build an ocean economy that feeds millions without depleting the sea.
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