Ghana’s United Nations (UN) has held a clean-up exercise at the Ussher Fort Beach and surrounding communities.

The exercise is part of activities to commemorate the 2022 UN Ocean Conference, which is expected to end July 1, in Lisbon, Portugal.

The theme for the Conference is: “Scaling up ocean action based on science and innovation for the implementation of Goal 14: stocktaking, partnerships, and solutions.”

The exercise brought together residents of the community, essentially fisher folks, and was held in partnership with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, and supported by UN-Habitat.

The fisher folks were sensitized to the essence of protecting the marines, oceans, and seas as they provided food, jobs, and energy for people across the globe.

The UN has indicated that the ocean nurtured 80 percent of life on earth, generated 50 percent oxygen for human life, and about 25 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.

It therefore, called on all countries to do more with science-driven and innovative solutions to save the ocean and protect the future.

Convened under the auspices of the United Nations, the Conference is being co-hosted by the Governments of Kenya and Portugal. It seeks to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 through conservation and sustainability of the oceans, seas, and marines.

The Conference was initially scheduled to be held in 2020. However, it had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PFC Urge Ghanaians to Contribute Toward Protecting the Ocean

In early June, the Pioneer Food Cannery, ahead of UN Ocean Day, sensitized Ghanaian fishers on the need to keep Ghana’s ocean clean and called on relevant stakeholders to protect Ghana’s water bodies.

The sensitization event by the PFC was marked with a cleanup exercise at the Tema Fishing Harbour. The exercise promoted knowledge about how to preserve the oceans for generations. It was also used to sensitize the fisherfolks on the need to keep the ocean clean.

In her open remarks, Madam Vida Botchwey, PFC Human Resources Director, said the ocean is one of the most excellent resources, a significant source of income and food.

Speaking on the theme: “Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean,” Madam Botchwey said there is a need to raise awareness to promote global ocean and resource sustainability.

Madam Botchwey cautioned that dumping refuses into water bodies adversely affected marine life and called for a behavioral change to maintain the ocean.

“When we dump, it all comes back into the ocean, and the coastal areas are seriously impacted; as people who depend on the ocean, we must take care of it because it’s by taking care of it today that tomorrow, our generation to come also can use the ocean.”
Madam Vida Botchwey

Ghana’s marine fisheries go beyond replacing fish stock

Adding to the commemoration, Nii Ashitey Odamtey II, Tema Chief Fisherman, revealed that preserving Ghana’s marine fisheries goes beyond replacing fish stock; instead, it is mitigating human activities such as pollution, and habitat destruction, among others, urging fishers and Ghanaians to adopt positive attitudes that would help preserve and conserve the ocean for future generations.

“The ocean has been a significant source of income, solving unemployment problems, oxygen among others, and any activity that would lead to the destruction of the ocean must be abolished. The preservation of marine life does not only have to do with replacing the fish population, but also mitigating human activities such as pollution, habitat destructions, overfishing, and much more.”
Nii Ashitey Odamtey II