Policy on alternative livelihood scheme advocated

Members of the Coastal Platform for Peace Building (COPP), an organization working to promote peace in the six coastal districts along the Jubilee Oil Field, have called on stakeholders to have a policy document on alternative livelihood activities for fishing communities.

Mr. Mark Asmah, Chairman of COPP said, the oil and gas exploration in the Western Region with its resultant restrictions on fishing activities had affected fishermen and their families. It was imperative that alternative means of living was instituted to avoid poverty.

The suggestion came when the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP-GHANA) handed over management of COPP to Regional Executives in Takoradi in the Western Region.

The platform was inaugurated about two years ago by WANEP-Ghana to detect early warning signs and possible ways of mitigation in the oil sector.

Mr. Isaac Bayor, National Network Coordinator, expressed appreciation to STAR-Ghana and Local Governance and Decentralization Programme (LOGODEP), for funding the two-year project in the Region, and equipping selected individuals from the six coastal districts with skills to detect early warning signs.