Gov’t to tap fish resources of Bui Dam, Volta Lake

The Bui Dam, the Volta Lake and Lower Volta Basin will all see some investment into tapping their natural resources as part of measures towards cultivating more fish for local consumption.

“The development plan for fisheries will see the vast untapped natural resources in the Volta Lake, the Lower Volta basin and the Bui Dam receiving much needed investment,” President John Mahama said at the 30th National Best Farmers Day Awards ceremony at Sefwi Wiawso in the Western Region Friday December 5, 2014.

It is part of a 5-year aquaculture plan being rolled out by the Government to shore up fish production to meet the country’s huge consumption capacity.

“…It is heartwarming to note that Ghana is among the highest fish-consuming countries in the world – I’m sure you didn’t know this – with a per capita consumption of between 23 and 25 kilogrammes of fish while the world average for fish consumption is 13kg. If you take the average consumption of fish across the world it is 13 kgs. In Ghana, per capita, we consume between 23 and 25kgs of fish per annum,” President Mahama said.

He said: “In Ghana fish provides 60% of the animal protein we require. And our main challenge is how to meet the demand for fish locally.”

The demand for fish in 2013 was estimated at over 968,000 metric tonnes but Ghana’s total fish production, locally, was just about 50% of the demand.

“So it means that we have had to import half of the fish that we consume in this country. For this reason, I have asked the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture to implement a 5-year aquaculture development plan. And this plan, which we have begun implementing, will stretch from 2013 to 2018. And the plan will seek to improve production, marketing and environmental sustainability of fish farming as a viable enterprise,” the President said.

He said: “Here again fish farming can be a business. You can produce fish commercially for the market and there is a ready market for fish all over the country.”

“Out of this aquaculture plan, the intention is to increase aquaculture production of fish from current 27,750 metric tonnes to about 130,000 metric tonnes by 2018.

“This will make more fish available to Ghanaians at reasonable prices and we will be able to eat more locally produced fish. It will generate employment and revenue for our fisherfolk and it is estimated that it will create 220,000 jobs.”