Tema's traditional council supports ban on fishing

General News of Wednesday, May 1st, 2019

Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

2019-05-01

The Tema Traditional Council welcomed the government's decision to temporarily ban fishing in the country's waters.

Despite the concerns of some fishermen and the minority Parliament about the ban that began this month, the traditional authorities of Tema have given him their blessing.

The Tema Mantse, Nii Adjei Kraku II, led a delegation to visit President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday and told the President that her people "are pleased with the prohibition ".

The purpose of the ban is to save some species of fish, such as mackerel and anchovies, which are on the verge of extinction due to poor fishing practices.

The decision to ban fishing was due to come into force last year, but due to the concerns of some fishermen from the coastal communities of the four regions, this ban has been postponed until this year.

However, other fishermen welcomed the decision, saying it would regenerate the declining stock of fish in the country's seas.

According to the Tema Mantse, even though the ban would affect the fishing communities of Tema, the council believes that it was for the greater good of the entire fishing industry.

He also presented other concerns to the President, particularly with regard to the acquisition of land in Tema, the representation of the council from state organizations, especially those established in Tema, the need for a new hospital and the dredging of the Sakumo and Kyemu lagoons.

President Akufo-Addo, meanwhile, expressed his gratitude to the council for supporting the measures taken by the government to save the fishing industry.

"Tema being one of the most important fishing communities in the country, this support is important to us. We think this helps to understand what we are trying to do.

"What we are doing is preserving the marine life of our country," he said, adding that if these measures were not taken, it would affect the fishing industry at sea. 39; future.

President Akufo-Addo said he was encouraged by the unequivocal support of Tema Mantse and the traditional Tema Council for the ban.

When appointing Tema people to the government, President Akufo-Addo said that members of his people were at the service of his government and said he was ready to appoint more competent people from Tema.

"VALCO's board of directors is in the process of being reconstituted. This gives us, for example, the opportunity to appoint members of Tema's traditional council to the council, "he said.

President Akufo-Addo spoke about the land acquisition in Tema and said that Tema's traditional council had made many sacrifices by giving up land for the construction of fishing ports, towns, and industries etc.

He added that there was no bare land in Tema to surrender to traditional authorities, but said the government was ready to facilitate dialogue on ways to support traditional authorities.