The official launch of the Economic Mobility and Protection of Women, Youth, and Ecosystems for Resilient Fishers (EMPoWER) Project aims to improve the sustainability and economic resilience of Ghana’s artisanal fishing communities.
Chief fishermen, fishmongers, and other players from the fishing industry came together for the launch event, which took place at Kaikai Beach Resort in Kokrobite.
Hen Mpoano, along with the Central and Western Fishmongers Improvement Association and Development Action Association, is spearheading the three-year project (2026–2028) with backing from the Norwegian government.
In artisanal fishing villages, the initiative seeks to improve social protection, boost economic resilience, and advance environmental sustainability, with a particular emphasis on women and young people along the aquatic food value chain.
At the project’s launch, Honourable Emelia Arthur, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, praised the effort as an excellent illustration of how Ghanaian civil society organisations collaborate to assist national development priorities.
The Minister claims that the consortium, which is headed by Hen Mpoano in collaboration with CEWEFIA and DAA, brings together complementary knowledge and experience to help provide significant and long-lasting effect throughout Ghana’s coastal communities.
She praised Hen Mpoano for its longstanding contributions to Ghana’s marine conservation, coastal resource management, and fisheries governance.
The Minister also thanked the Norwegian government for investing in the resilience of fishing communities and the fishing industry overall, as well as for supporting the program.
She pointed out that the project is in line with the Ministry’s aims, which include protecting coastal habitats, promoting financial inclusion, strengthening governance under the Fisheries and Aquaculture Act 1146, and increasing domestic fish output.
The Minister welcomed the initiative but emphasised how crucial it is to turn the project’s commitments, which include digital innovation, mangrove restoration, LaBEC capacity training, cooperative strengthening, and aquaculture expansion, into quantifiable outcomes within fishing communities.
She went on to say that the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture is still dedicated to changing the industry via innovation, inclusive involvement, sustainable fisheries management, and aquaculture growth.
It is anticipated that the EMPoWER Project will support current government initiatives to develop a more robust and sustainable fishing industry in Ghana.
Source: newsthemegh.com