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It was a long awaited check and in no way did it disappoint. Halfway through the ministerial review, calls were made for his backtracking. Most media watchers and bloggers were united with one voice; it must be rejected by the nominations committee. Her hesitant English, her face, her lack of knowledge of how the area she was “posted” to work, and other responses during the audit were the main points of discussion. The opinions of the political division were not varied this time, the verdict was simple – Hawa Koomson is not competent enough to hold the title of Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.
Two tweets among the lots caught my attention. @RexKwasiDanquah: “The check is a job interview to assess your skills. Hawa Koomson should be frank with herself if a new graduate shows up to her ministry and does exactly what she is doing now, would she hire the young graduate? We all know the answer. I wish him good luck.
@CoachOpeele: “I’m not a fan of Hon. Hawa Koomson on his Rambo style approach and also understands people’s criticism of his controlling performance so far, but if we only need elites to be ministers, we also need to allow only well educated elites to vote in our society. Let’s be fair.
The latter prevailed. The concerns of Ghanaians were justified, however, as putting such an important ministry in the hands of a “green horn” can certainly hurt the economy. Let us not forget that statistics show that the fishing sector generates over $ 1 billion in revenue each year and accounts for at least 4.5% of Ghana’s gross domestic product. The sector also plays a major role in sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction in many households and communities.
“Apparent failure” turned into success
Whether failure becomes a stepping stone or a stumbling block depends on how you deal with it. In all fairness, Hawa Koomson has achieved honorable results less than a year after taking office. Two main issues among the lot still define the success of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development. That is, the management of the closure of the fishing season and the supply of pre-mixed fuel to the fishermen.
In contemporary development practice, there is a general feeling that the process of development through the implementation of projects and programs will only be meaningful if the local population fully participates in their planning and implementation. As such, contemporary academics and development practitioners have advocated for the inclusion of the participation of local people in development practices. For the first time in many years, the fishing season near 2021 was clearly devoid of the usual acrimony associated with it, mainly due to extensive stakeholder engagement and local consultations initiated by the ministry.
Indeed, compliance was high in all fishing communities. The few holdouts who defied the ban were quickly dealt with – a new face of humane law enforcement.
Knowing full well the difficulties associated with the “closed season”, efforts have been made to support coastal communities. The distribution of food products was a welcome and timely relief for these families.
My interaction with some fishermen on the coast confirmed that food distribution was not based on holiday colors, a common feature until now. To the extent that this is laudable, measures must be put in place early so as not to arrive at the close of the season before making such decisions. There should be more commitments to compile a reliable database of people living in these communities and their needs.
The supply of subsidized premixed fuel has always been a thorny issue. The ministry, through the Premix Fuel Secretariat, supplied over fifty-two million liters of Premix Fuel between January and June 2021. The operation of the “Premix cartel” was curtailed in the first half of this year. The measures put in place by the National Premix Secretariat must be supported in the years to come to effectively eliminate all illegal activities associated with it. Access to reliable data is therefore crucial for the success of this exercise. The digitization campaign to register all fishermen for an efficient supply of premixed fuel needs to be accelerated. With an appropriate oversight mechanism, the corruption associated with the distribution might no longer exist.
Bad leadership since time immemorial has been the bane of development and so when good leadership is exhibited, especially after initial concerns have been raised about someone’s competence, it is important to recognize the positives when ‘they are visible to everyone. The approach of deep engagement with all stakeholders in decision making is the way to go. Hawa Koomson, vilified, despised and mocked, leads the way – probably with a V sign, for the win.
Pearlvis Atsu Kuadey – [email protected]
The writer is a media monitor with research interests in presidential rhetoric, development communication, and new media technology.
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