Features
Our dead fishing industry
As a vegetarian, do I have to bother if others do not get their meat and fish to eat? The answer simply is yes, I am bothered because being vegetarian is a choice which I have no right to impose on anyone; not even on my family. My son, however, chose vegetarianism along the way. And my youngest daughter too.
Ghanaians love their fish and consume over a million tonnes annually. Almost all of our coastal communities are into fishing as a source of livelihood. Indeed, statistics tell us that about 10 per cent of Ghana’s population is engaged in fishing. This means a little over three million Ghanaians are into fishing. But I think this figure needs a review downward since our inland water bodies are being degraded and throwing our fishers out of business. In fact, the only natural environment for fish to thrive in is water.
The Tema fishing harbour has all but died since the middle of last year. All fishing vessels, except a few tuna trawlers, have been grounded because the Ghana Maritime Authority has now woken up from its slumber to insist that these fishing vessels are primed to international standards before they go out to sea.
This edict has affected the operators financially in these hard times that they have virtually nothing to fix their vessels with. The institutional failure in our land is so nauseating that the ordinary man becomes a victim. Of course, standards must be maintained, no doubt, but why did the Maritime Authority wait all these years for these poor fisher folks to manage their businesses the way they knew only to be shackled when they least expected it?
Now, only those with connections in high places import frozen fish into the country. Today, trading in frozen fish is the only activity at the fishing harbour in Tema. One can only get some fresh fish from the artisanal canoe fishers, a negligible undertaking. Those on the value chain of fishing activities at the harbour are out of commission at this point in time.
The situation is not different at the landing beaches. At Jamestown in Accra, plastic waste constitutes the greater percentage of what the fishermen haul ashore from each expedition. And this adds to the cost of repairing their fishing gear.
We have a Fisheries Commission but I wonder if it has all the data on what fishery is all about. Research findings are gathering dust on shelves, because we do not yet have the culture of using research material to better our lot. Every available water body that has living microorganisms is a resource for aquatic life. Rivers, lagoons, lakes and ponds serve this purpose.
The Fisheries Commission should be the one spearheading the fight against the pollution of our water bodies by illegal mining operators, not the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources. It is because once the rivers are polluted with toxic chemicals, aquatic life is lost, thus depriving the fishers of their source of livelihood and the communities their source of protein.
The Fisheries Commission seems to be unaware that the estuaries of our rivers have all been silted, thereby starving mangroves of nutrients and cover for the spawning of crustacians like crabs, prawns and shrimps. As a result, shrimpers have folded up their business.
Take the estuary of the Volta River, for example. The silting of this area has given rise to water hyacinth along the banks of the river right from Kpong in the Asuogyaman District all the way down to Sogakope and Ada in the South Tongu and Dangme East Districts respectively. The river used to discharge water into the Keta Lagoon by way of Galo and Savietula and, as a result, introduce new fish varieties into the lagoon. That has not happened in the last thirty-five years or so and nothing is being done to reverse this.
I spent 15 years living by the Keta Lagoon, first in Keta itself, Anyako and Anloga in1957.
At Anyako, my grand-aunt fried over a dozen species of fish for sale in Accra. One room was dedicated to baskets of assorted fish right from the floor to the ceiling. I didn’t need permission to help myself with any that caught my fancy, but I never took undue advantage.
Personally, I went fishing for sport. After all, there was more than enough in my home to choose from, but I loved the water and seeing fish live in its own environment had its own therapeutic attraction for, and effect on, me. Today, the Keta Lagoon cannot boast of even a quarter of a dozen species.
Oh, how I miss those fishing trips. I loved the hook-and-line fishing since my grandparents did not permit me to go with the professionals for fear I might impede their work, according to them, was my precocious disposition.
I was also fascinated with drag-line fishing. Two people would drag a twine 20 or 30 metres between them on the bed of shallow water. Others waded in behind the twine and, as the fish ducked flat under the twine and embedded in the sand, sunlight exposed their shiny bodies and were quickly picked up. Today, it is no fun trying to fish in this once life-sustaining environment.
The Volta River Authority (VRA) cannot be bothered by the silting of the Volta River. I sighted a letter written by Hon. Ken Dzirasah, a former Member of Parliament for South Tongu and Deputy Speaker to the VRA to address the issue and the effect on the economy of the area. Nothing seems to be done about this.
Lake Bosumtwi is also losing its fish stock. It seems the Ministry of Fisheries is only interested in revenue from licensing fishing companies operating in the oceanic maritime zones. What about inland fishing? Is the Ministry following the provisions in the Fisheries Act to the letter?
Meanwhile, fish constitutes the greatest source of Ghanaians’ protein needs, yet we have leaders over the years who have not taken the fishery sector seriously. Prized fishes are spawned and carried by the Benguela currents along the Gulf of Guinea all the way to the West and North Atlantic. Why we do not take advantage to maximize our harvest of these fishes beats my mind.
State intervention with the supply of what is known as pre-mixed fuel is even undermined by state officials who take bribes in the supply chain or divert the fuel to other areas.
The fight against pollution of our water bodies must be relentless and offenders severely punished. Not only do we need fish for consumption, we need water for our very existence as a people.
We must be worried when the very people whose duty it is to ensure our lives are assured are the ones alleged to be involved in mining activities that pollute the environment and water bodies. Only God knows what future we bequeath to our children and their children.
Post Script: I take this opportunity to wish my dear readers Merry Christmas and Happy 2023. I appreciate the mails you send.
Writer’s email address:
akofa45@yahoo.com
By Dr. Akofa K. Segbefia
Features
Fix It Fast or Lose Them Forever: The Ever-Rising Importance of Service Recovery in Competitive Industries
Yes, in literature and in practice, differences exist regarding customer service, service failures, and service recovery.
But have you ever considered the latter (service recovery) and its potential impact on service experience, brand building, and sustainable growth?
Well, in today’s fiercely competitive service economy, customer experience has become one of the most powerful determinants of business survival and long-term success.
Across industries, from aviation and banking to telecommunications, hospitality, healthcare, retail, and digital platforms, customers now expect fast, seamless, and reliable service delivery at every touchpoint.
Yet despite technological advancements and operational improvements, service failures remain inevitable.
Systems experience downtime, deliveries are delayed, reservations are misplaced, payments fail, customer inquiries go unanswered, employees mishandle interactions, and digital platforms experience disruptions.
In the midst of these, what increasingly separates successful organisations from struggling ones is not whether failures occur, but how quickly and effectively they recover when they do.
Service Recovery
Simply put, it is the process of fixing a service problem and restoring customer confidence after a failure has occurred.
Examples of service recoveries are; an airline offering compensation after a flight delay, a telecom company restoring interrupted service and providing bonus data, a restaurant replacing a wrongly prepared meal at no extra cost, a hotel upgrading a guest’s room after a booking problem, and finally a bank reversing an erroneous transaction and apologising promptly.
As competition intensifies and customer expectations continue to rise, service recovery is rapidly evolving from a routine customer service function into a critical strategic capability.
Businesses are discovering a hard truth of the modern marketplace: fix customer problems quickly, or risk losing them permanently.
Customers are More Powerful Now Than Ever
Customers now possess more power than at any other time in business history. Digital technology, social media, online reviews, and mobile connectivity have fundamentally changed customer behaviour.
Consumers now easily compare competitors instantly, publicly share negative experiences, switch providers with ease, and influence the purchasing decisions of thousands of others online.
This evolution has made customer loyalty increasingly fragile. A single poor experience can quickly damage years of brand-building effort.
In highly competitive sectors where products and pricing are often similar, customer experience has emerged as one of the few sustainable competitive advantages.
Modern customers no longer evaluate organisations solely by product quality or pricing. Increasingly, they judge businesses by their responsiveness, reliability, transparency, empathy, and effectiveness in resolving problems.
Why Service Recovery Matters More Than Ever
Failures are no longer viewed as isolated operational incidents, especially in competitive service sectors. They are moments that directly influence customer trust, brand perception, and future purchasing behaviour.
Research across service industries consistently demonstrates that customers are often willing to forgive mistakes when organisations respond quickly, communicate honestly, show empathy, and resolve issues effectively.
Conversely, poor recovery experiences frequently create stronger dissatisfaction than the original service failure itself.
For many businesses, the greatest reputational damage does not arise from operational errors, but from delayed responses, poor communication, lack of accountability, and unresolved customer frustrations.
This has elevated service recovery into a central component of customer relationship management and competitive strategy.
Speed, a Competitive Weapon
In the modern service economy, speed is no longer merely operational efficiency; it is a basic customer expectation.
Consumers increasingly expect: immediate responses, real-time updates, fast complaint resolution, and proactive communication. Delays are often interpreted as incompetence, indifference, or organisational inefficiency.
Consequently, organisations are redesigning their service recovery frameworks to prioritize rapid intervention and customer reassurance.
A cursory assessment revealed that some businesses now operate dedicated customer experience teams, 24/7 support systems, AI-powered service platforms, automated escalation systems, and real-time issue monitoring dashboards.
The ability to resolve customer problems quickly is now a major source of competitive differentiation.
Technology Is Transforming Recovery Strategies
Technology is fundamentally reshaping how organisations manage service recovery. Across industries, companies are leveraging artificial intelligence, customer analytics, chatbots, predictive monitoring systems, and integrated digital support platforms.
These tools allow organisations to identify service failures earlier, monitor customer dissatisfaction, automate responses, personalize engagement, and accelerate resolution timelines.
Some organisations now proactively contact customers before complaints are formally lodged, using analytics to identify service disruptions in real time.
This means that the future of service recovery is increasingly preventive rather than purely reactive.
Service Recovery as a Brand Strategy
Forward-looking organisations are now treating service recovery as part of brand management strategy rather than operational damage control.
The logic is straightforward because, acquiring new customers is expensive, dissatisfied customers influence others, and loyalty is increasingly experience-driven.
Businesses are therefore measuring customer satisfaction, response times, complaint resolution rates, customer retention, and net promoter scores more aggressively than before.
In many industries, service recovery performance is now discussed at executive and board levels because of its direct relationship with profitability, reputation, and long-term growth.
A call to action
As industries become more digital, interconnected and customer-driven, service recovery will likely become even more important.
Therefore, organisations that succeed in the future will likely be those that respond rapidly, communicate transparently, empower employees, leverage technology intelligently, treat customers fairly, and place their (customers’) trust at the centre of recovery strategies.
Remember, customers now have more choices, less patience, and greater influence than ever before, a clear message to forward-looking organisations that when service breaks down, recovery is everything. Fix it fast or risk losing customers forever.
Writer: Mohammed Ali
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you are trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved. Last week we looked at three and this week is the remaining four steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
4. Find common ground
The best way to handle workplace conflict is to start with what you can agree on. Find common ground between the people engaging in conflict. If you are directly involved in the conflict, slow down and focus on results instead of who’s right.
If you are the mediator for conflict resolution between coworkers, observe the discussion and help point out the common ground others may not see.
5. Collectively brainstorm solutions
When deciding how to handle workplace conflict, it can be tempting to problem-solve on your own. Sometimes, it feels easier to work independently rather than collaboratively. However, if you want to achieve a lasting resolution, you will need to motivate your team to get involved.
Brainstorm possible solutions together, and solicit input from everyone involved on the pros and cons of each option until you settle on a solution that feels comfortable to everyone. This will help all team members feel a sense of ownership that can help prevent future conflicts.
6. Create an action plan
Once you have created an open dialogue around workplace conflicts, it is time to resolve them. Just like any other work goal, this requires creating a concrete plan and following through.
Create an action plan and then act on it. It does not matter what the plan is, as long as you commit to it and resolve the conflict as a result.
7. Reflect on what you learned
All conflicts offer an opportunity to grow and become a better communicator. Identify what went well and what did not.
Work with your whole team to gather learnings from the conflict so you can avoid similar situations in the future.
