Stakeholder consultation held in Ghana
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) facilitated the organization of a national stakeholder consultation in Ghana as part of efforts to assist the country in drafting new legislation to incorporate its key international obligations related to the effective implementation of the Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA), but also to its responsibilities as a flag and coastal State, and the application of the internationally agreed market-related measures.
The stakeholder consultation was hosted by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and the Fisheries Commission, between 11 – 14 April 2023, under FAO’s current assistance to Ghana.
The stakeholder consultation is a legal requirement and a necessary step in the national law making process as described by the Parliamentary Counsel at the Attorney General Office.
Attendants included representatives from civil society organizations, fisheries associations as well as key public institutions such as Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Maritime Authority, Ghana Navy, the Marine Police, as well as Customs and Immigration Services.
The overall goal of this initial step was to involve the stakeholders in the law-making process. In the process of drafting and adopting new legislation, it was also an opportunity to engage with national actors involved in the fisheries sector and assist them in becoming more aware of Ghana’s obligation to fight IUU fishing as well as its responsibilities as a flag, coastal, port and market State. To this end and among other tasks, stakeholders worked with the FAO Legal Checklist (Volume II) to guide their discussions on the current national legal framework and identify possible areas to align with international standards. Feedback gathered from participants will inform the drafting of the new legislation.
This Ghana mission was possible as a result of the European Union funded project GCP/GLO/447/EC, Fourth PSMA Global Capacity Development Programme Support Project, which supports capacity development initiatives in developing States to assist them to be in a better position to implement international instruments to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, including the provisions of the PSMA.