The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hon. Emelia Arthur, has officially sanctioned an aggressive nationwide accountability exercise aimed at purging the premix fuel distribution system of corruption and recovering millions in “lost” community funds.
Starting today, March 16, 2026, the National Premix Fuel Secretariat (NPFS), under the Minister’s direct oversight, has deployed teams across all coastal and inland fishing districts, to track every pesewa of the GHS 27.7 million misappropriated during the previous administration, and to ensure that the Community Development Fund is no longer treated as a personal piggy bank for local committees.
“We are determined to ensure that every pesewa generated from the premix fuel system is accounted for. The government is committed to ensuring transparency and value for money in the management of premix fuel revenues and the community development funds associated with it”
Hon. Emelia Arthur, Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
This decisive action follows a damning audit covering the period of 2017 to 2024, which exposed a systematic culture of financial irregularities and blatant misappropriation. Hon. Arthur, known for her disciplined approach to sector reforms, has made it clear that the era of opacity is over.
Through partnering with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), the Minister is leveraging the power of local government to enforce a new standard of financial discipline in a high-stakes recovery mission, intended to restore the integrity of a program that supports the livelihoods of millions of Ghanaians.
The core of the Minister’s frustration – and the catalyst for this nationwide sweep – lies in the findings of the 2017-2024 audit.
According to official reports, the “erstwhile NPP government,” oversaw a period where premix fuel margins, which are legally mandated to fund community projects, were siphoned off through a network of irregular accounts and unauthorized expenditures.
The GHS 27.7 million deficit represents more than just a fiscal hole; it represents unbuilt clinics, unrepaired landing sites, and missing scholarships for the children of fishermen. Minister Emelia Arthur directed that all members of the Landing Beach Committees (LBCs) who served during the audit period must be held accountable.
This “Accountability Drive,” will require former committee members to produce receipts, ledgers, and project proofs or face legal consequences, as the Minister signals that the government’s seriousness about social justice for the fishing communities who have been “short-changed” by past administrative malpractice.
The exercise, running until March 27, 2026, will leave no stone unturned from the Volta Lake to the Western coastline.
Protecting the CDF
At the center of Hon. Emelia Arthur’s reform agenda is the Community Development Fund (CDF). Under the current policy, 53% of the margins from premix fuel sales are supposed to be reinvested directly into the communities where the fuel is sold.
This fund was established to ensure that the fishing industry contributes to its own local infrastructure, such as cold stores, sanitation facilities, and community centers. However, the audit revealed that in many districts, the 53% margin was either never remitted or was spent on “ghost projects.”
The Minister has empowered the NPFS Administrator, Ebow Mensah, to work in lockstep with MMDCEs to verify every project claimed to have been funded by the CDF. This partnership with local assemblies is crucial because MMDCEs have the ground-level visibility to know if a project actually exists.
According to Hon. Arthur, tightening the oversight on these funds, is how to ensure that the 24-Hour Economy goals of the fisheries sector – including nighttime processing and round-the-clock cold chain logistics – are supported by actual, tangible infrastructure rather than just line items on a misappropriated ledger.
The scope of the Minister’s drive is unprecedented, covering the Volta Lake, Oti, Bono East, Savannah, Northern, Eastern, Western, Central, Greater Accra, and Volta Marine regions. This is a total-sector cleanup.
The Minister’s strategy involves not just looking backward at the GHS 27.7 million loss, but also stress-testing the current management systems, with current LBC members also under the microscope – as the Secretariat is reviewing their management of funds in real-time to prevent the “2017–2024 syndrome,” from repeating itself.
For the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD), this exercise is a prerequisite for broader sector modernization. The Minister believes that until the premix fuel system is “cleaned up,” it cannot effectively serve as a foundation for Ghana’s Economic ambitions.
A corrupt fuel system leads to artificial shortages and high costs for fishers, which in turn hampers the national output. However, restoring “integrity, transparency, and accountability,” as emphasized by Administrator Ebow Mensah, will lay the groundwork for a more resilient and profitable blue economy.
“This exercise is about protecting resources that rightfully belong to our fishing communities and ensuring that they are used strictly for their intended development purposes. The Secretariat is fully committed to strengthening oversight and transparency”
Ebow Mensah, NPFS Administrator
As the teams move across the regions this week, the political and economic stakes could not be higher. Hon. Emelia Arthur’s drive is being watched closely as a test of commitment to government’s accountability mantra.
For the fishing communities in places like Shama and Sekondi-Takoradi, where pilot programs were successful, there is a sense of renewed hope. They are seeing, perhaps for the first time in years, that the revenue generated from their hard work on the sea is finally being tracked and protected.
Ultimately, the Minister’s goal is to move the premix fuel program beyond a state of “crisis management” into a state of “sustainable development,” by enforcing strict compliance with existing regulations and leveraging the authority of the MMDCEs.
READ ALSO: Lordina Foundation Completes Modern Health Centre for Anyima Community
