Cape coast: Landing Beach Committees (LBCs) across Cape Coast, Abura Asebu Kwamankese (AAK), and Mfantseman in the Central Region have collectively accounted for GHS545,513.62 in community development funds following an intensive accountability exercise by the National Premix Fuel Secretariat. The exercise is part of the government's ongoing reforms to enforce compliance with Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2233, which mandates that 53 percent of proceeds from premix fuel sales be reserved strictly for community development projects within fishing communities.
According to Ghana Web, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, described the exercise as a turning point in fisheries governance. She emphasized that premix fuel is not merely a subsidy but a social intervention designed to uplift fishing communities. The government is determined to ensure that funds meant for development reach the people they are intended for. Strict enforcement of L.I. 2233 is restoring public confidence and curbing the diversion of resources meant for coastal development.
The Administrator of the National Premix Fuel Secretariat, Ebow Mensah, stated that the three-day monitoring tour revealed that many residents were previously unaware that a significant portion of premix sales legally belonged to their communities. Mensah explained that the exercise has opened the eyes of the communities themselves, who now understand that 53 percent of premix proceeds must return to them in the form of development projects. Additionally, the engagements have empowered residents to demand transparency and accountability from committee members entrusted with managing public funds.
Figures released by the Secretariat indicate that 20 landing beaches in the Central Region's coastal belt rendered accounts as of February 25, 2026, covering three major districts. In the Cape Coast Metropolis, several landing beaches, including Ola Landing Beach and Duakor Abakam, accounted for varying amounts, with Duakor Abakam recording the highest at GHS80,744.16. The Abura Asebu Kwamankese (AAK) District and Mfantseman Municipality also reported significant sums across various landing beaches.
The Secretariat noted that some withdrawals captured in the accounts are currently under review as part of strengthened financial oversight measures. Residents across the landing beaches have expressed their support for the reforms. At Moree Landing Beach, fisherman Kojo Mensah welcomed the changes, noting that they bring transparency and hope for real development. In Anomabo, fish processor Maame Efua Nyamekye highlighted how the exercise has strengthened community oversight and will help improve facilities.
Canoe owner Opanyin Kweku Atta at Birwa Main Landing Beach described the engagement as long overdue, stating that transparency brings peace and reduces conflict in the community. The National Premix Fuel Secretariat plans to make the accountability exercise a quarterly requirement to ensure strict adherence to L.I. 2233 across all landing beaches nationwide. This initiative is part of a broader government effort to restore discipline, strengthen transparency, and promote equitable distribution within Ghana's premix fuel system while redirecting resources into tangible community development projects along the coast.