The two-day capacity event fo­cuses on improving safety, welfare, and working conditions for small-scale fishers across the country.

The Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ms Emelia Arthur em­phasised that the welfare of small-scale fishers was crucial for the sector’s growth and sustainability.

She acknowledged that the working conditions for many fishers were still poor and needed urgent attention.

“Ghana has ratified the ILO C.188, which sets clear standards to ensure decent work for those in the fishing industry,” she said.

According to her, this included access to good food, clean water, and proper accommodation on vessels, fair salaries, and social protection.

Ms Arthur stressed that imple­menting these measures would also help eliminate forced labour in the sector and called on stakeholders to work and ensure that the conven­tion was fully applied.

The Executive Director of Friends of the Nation, Donkris Mewuta said the workshop was part of the Marine SafeNet Ghana Project, a pilot programme being implemented by Friends of the Na­tion and ProSea Marine Education, with support from the international fund for fishing safety.

The project, according to him, sought to promote education and awareness about safer working con­ditions and better labour standards in the small-scale fishing industry.

He mentioned that small-scale fishing was a major source of live­lihood for many Ghanaians, yet it remained one of the most danger­ous occupations.

“Many fishers work in risky conditions with little protection or social security. In some coastal com­munities, several fishers have lost their lives at sea, including 12 deaths reported in Axim last year alone,” he explained.

Mr Mewuta stressed that the ILO C.188 offered a strong framework to address these problems and pro­tect the rights and dignity of fishers.

He said part of the project in­cluded setting up a system to report near-miss incidents at sea, which would help in making informed decisions to improve safety.

A representative from the Inter­national Labour Organisation, Mr Emmanuel Mensah, commended Ghana for its early efforts in adopt­ing the C.188.

He highlighted the role of the Ghana Maritime Authority in laying the groundwork even before the country officially ratified the Con­vention.

He said the ILO was committed to providing technical support and working with organisations like Friends of the Nation to improve the sector.

Mr Mensah noted that most fishers started in small-scale fishing before moving to the industrial level, making it critical to focus on artisanal fishers.

He encouraged the media to share the real stories of fishers and the progress being made, as improvements in their lives would bring real development to local communities.