A zonal multi-stakeholder platform meeting has been organized for stakeholders to discussed issues of Illegal Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in the area.

The meeting, also provided the space for dialogue and discussions on issues among fisheries stakeholders to promote stakeholder involvement and participatory planning in fisheries management.

It was organized by for key stakeholders including, members of the IUU, Community Monitoring Groups (CMGs), Fisheries Commission Officers, traditional leaders, fisher folks, Kpando Municipal Assembly, the Ghana Agricultural Workers Association, Ghana Inland Fishermen Canoe Association and Fisheries Enforcement Unit of the Ghana Navy.

Participants were also trained on the use of IUU-ICT Mobile App called DASE (Evidence) for monitoring, reporting and documenting IUU cases in the Inland Fishing Zone in the lake Volta.

The District Fisheries Commission Officer, Mr Wendell Papafio, said the IUU fishing was under the Far Ban Bo Protecting Fisheries Livelihoods project in Ghana, which seeks to improving Fisheries governance and IUU through engagement with fishers and stakeholders to improve on monitoring, reporting and prosecution of Fisheries infractions.

The project is being implemented by Friends of the Nation (FoN), CARE and Oxfam with funding from the European Union in Ghana.

The Executive Director of Friends of the Nation (FoN), Mr. Donkris Mevuta, presented five mobile phones to the members of the CMG to support the combat of IUU fishing in the inland fishing sector and explained that the smart phones were to be used for evidence gathering of IUU fishing activities.

Mr Mevuta said the App on the phone would allow the evidence to be shared with regulators for effective deterrence.