Ghana: Ghana has earned international recognition for efforts to improve transparency and accountability in the fisheries sector after being officially designated a Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) Implementing Country. The recognition, granted by the FiTI International Board, acknowledges the country's progress in creating an enabling environment for transparency, stakeholder participation, and collaborative governance in the management of marine fisheries resources.
According to Ghana News Agency, FiTI is a global multi-stakeholder partnership that aims to increase transparency and participation in the governance of marine fisheries, helping countries make fisheries information more accessible to citizens, industry actors, and civil society organisations. The decision marks a major step in efforts to address longstanding concerns over limited public access to fisheries information, which has often complicated inclusive decision-making and sustainable resource management.
A statement issued by the FiTI International Board on Tuesday noted that Ghana's application demonstrated full compliance with all requirements outlined under Section C of the FiTI Standard. The board expressed satisfaction not only with the quality of the application but also with the manner in which the process was conducted, noting that it was completed within agreed timelines and carried out in a professional, participatory, and inclusive manner.
The statement highlighted Ghana's progress in making fisheries information publicly available through a newly established Fisheries Information System (FIS), which had been integrated into the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture's website. This development comes three years after the FiTI conducted its 'Taking Stock' transparency assessment on Ghana, which found that while some fisheries-related information was publicly available, much of the data required for open and inclusive fisheries management remained inaccessible.
'The establishment of the Fisheries Information System represents an important response to those findings and demonstrates Ghana's commitment to strengthening transparency in the sector,' the statement said. It noted that achieving Implementing Country status laid the foundation for Ghana to begin reaping the benefits of a more transparent and inclusive fisheries sector while demonstrating adherence to international transparency standards.
Despite the achievement, sustaining the implementation of the FiTI Standard was expected to require adequate financial and technical resources. Stakeholders have indicated that funding remains one of the key challenges that could affect the pace of reforms, data collection, reporting, and stakeholder engagement activities needed to meet the initiative's transparency requirements.
Dr Godfred Ameyaw Asiedu, FiTI Regional Coordinator for Anglophone Africa, stated that inadequate funding was a major obstacle to Ghana's efforts to improve transparency and accountability in the fisheries sector under FiTI. He noted that funding had restricted the pace and scope of the group's work. 'We could have done more if we had adequate funding,' he told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.