Elmina gets $7.48m fish processing plant

A $7.48 million turnkey fish processing plant has been commissioned at Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abram (KEEA) Municipality of the Central Region to help reduce unemployment and poverty among the people.

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, who commissioned the Raphael Spectrum Company Limited, said the government has also planned to build a fishing harbour, cold storage facilities and landing sites, as well as Anomabo Fisheries College.

She stated that government would improve the well-being of fishing communities by creating the enabling environment that would create jobs and wealth for residents and their dependents.

She was hopeful the management team would put in place sound management systems to effectively manage the facilities.

Paramount Chief of Edina Traditional Area, Nana Kodwo Conduah, underscored the importance of the facility to the people of the area.

Nana Conduah added that the facility would provide adequate iced blocks for the fishermen in the area to store their fish on the high seas.

He underscored the need for the people in the area not to politicize the operations of facility since it belongs to all Ghanaians and not a particular political party.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Raphael Spectrum Company Limited, Raphael Tackie Antiaye, said the facility would be managed properly to improve the lives of all.

He said measures had been put in place by the management to ensure that the facility stores enough fish after the fishing season.

The keys of the facility were handed over to Raphael Spectrum Company Limited, which is going to partner proponents of an Indian firm's post-harvest technology for a six-month supervisory period after which the Ghanaian firm would take over the operations of the facility