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Government Is Implementing Policies To Control The Degradation Of Ghana’s Coastal Landscape – VP Bawumia
The Vice President and newly elected flagbearer of the NPP, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has highlighted a number of interventions the government has undertaken to control the degradation of Ghana’s coastal landscape.
Speaking at the third Biennial Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment in Accra, on Monday September 6, 2023, Dr. Bawumia said, inspite of the enormous benefits from the ocean to the country, degradation of the ocean threatens its sustainability and benefits.
The degradation, Dr. Bawumia noted, “includes coastal erosion caused by sea level rise, pollution from municipal waste such as plastic and chemical pollution from illegal mining activities, and so on.”
“It also involves over exploitation of fisheries resources through illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing amongst others.”
The Vice President, who lamented how the health of our ocean and its accompanying resources have been rapidly deteriorating “as a result of both anthropogenic and natural causes,” also outlined steps the government has undertaken to address the problem and ensure sustainable ocean economy.
“In recent times, the Government of Ghana has embarked on various activities to ensure sustainable ocean management. The first of the activities was the president joining the high-level panel for a sustainable ocean economy,” Dr Bawumia noted.
“The Ocean Panel as it is called is a special global initiative of seventeen (17) world leaders who pledged themselves to a new ocean programme to work at attaining a sustainable ocean economy. To strengthen this effort, a two-day maiden National Blue Economy Summit was held in Accra in May/June, 2023 under the theme “Our Ocean’s Heath, Our Prosperity, Our Planet’s Security”.
“Secondly, the government has approved a loan of 150 million USD from the World Bank on the West Africa Coastal Area (WACA) programme to stem the tide of coastal degradation occurring in our coastal areas.”
‘Also, the government has begun various activities to fight illegal unreported and unregulated fishing in our waters. We are seriously regulating the license of foreign fishing vessels especially their fishing gears, where they fish and whether they have licenses or not. In fact, some of these foreign vessels have been denied licenses already. We have also digitized the access to pre-mix fuel for artisanal fishing activities.”
The introduction of a digitized premix fueling station, Dr. Bawumia said, was meant to automate the pre-mix fuel system to reduce issues such as hoarding, politicization and diversion amongst others.
He added that government has also begun efforts to reduce the number of boats in the artisanal fishing sectors.
“Just like the Africa Union and taking from the AU submissions, our government believes that the ocean presents a huge opportunity to accelerate development and improve upon the well-being of the people of this country. Ghana, with its extensive coastline, is committed to leading the charge towards a sustainable and inclusive Blue Economy,” Dr Bawumia said.
The third Biennial Conference on Fisheries and Coastal Environment, was under the theme : “Inclusive Blue Economy in Africa: Towards Sustainable Transformation and Resilience of the Marine Environment.”
It was organized by the Centre for Coastal Management – Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (CCM-ACECoR) of the University of Cape Coast and other strategic partners, including the World Bank, WACA, USAID, Vulnerability to Viability Global Partnership and others.
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Let’s reintroduce Cultural Studies to complement educational reforms — Tourism Minister
Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, has emphasised the importance of reintroducing Cultural Studies in schools as part of Ghana’s broader educational reform agenda.
She said Cultural Studies would complement existing efforts to reposition Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to promote digital literacy and expand Creative Arts education.
Speaking at the 2025 Homowo Festival of the people of Ningo-Prampram, held on the theme: “Education: The Best Legacy for our Children,” Madam Gomashie said cultural education was critical to national identity and development.
She noted that the festival’s theme aligned with the Government’s vision to transform education in Ghana and encouraged the youth to embrace it not only as a means of personal development but also as a way of preserving traditional values.
These values, including patience, wisdom, and hard work, were at the core of the Homowo celebration, the Minister said.
“Cultural festivals like Homowo are vital instruments for strengthening cultural identity, preserving historical memory, and fostering national unity. Additionally, festivals serve as platforms for educating the youth through storytelling, music, dance, and other traditional practices, while also providing opportunities for community engagement.”
Madam Gomashie highlighted the strong foundation that Ghana’s tourism was built on, which included culture, traditions, and the creative industry, collectively contributing to over GH¢4.8 billion to the economy.
“Festivals give tourists reasons to visit our country. Therefore, with the right infrastructure and the development of all the domains, the sector can do more than what has been recorded,” she added.
Mr Sam Nartey George, the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram and Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, commended the community for their vibrant participation in the festival. He announced plans for the construction of a new nursing training school in Ningo, aimed at expanding access to healthcare education in the area.
Nene Osroagbo Djangmah XII, Paramount Chief of Great Ningo Traditional Area; King Dr Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, Ga Mantse; Nene Tetteh Wakah III, Paramount Chief of the Prampram Traditional Area; Prof. Odaifio Welentsi III, Paramount Chief of the Nungua Traditional Area; Naana Dugbakuwor Dugba II, Paramount Queen Mother of Great Ningo; and Mr. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Special Envoy on Religion and Inter-Faith Affairs, who represented the Chief of Staff, were among dignitaries at the festival. -GNA
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
