The Canoe and Fishing Gear Owners Association of Ghana (CaFGOAG) has called on the National Premix Fuel Secretariat (NPFS) to adhere to the provisions in the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2233, on the establishment of Landing Beach Committees for effective representation.

This was in a statement issued at the end of a two-day workshop on Leadership and Organizational Development, held for Volta Regional Executives of the Association at Keta.

According to the statement signed by Nana Kweigyah, President of the association and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), premix fuel distribution at the landing beaches was fraught with irregularities manifested in the hoarding of the commodity.

It said people who do not own canoes, but had access to premix fuel, sold it to fishers at unapproved prices.

'It is therefore important for the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and the NPFS to take a second look at the establishment of the Landing Beach Committees (LBCs) to bring sanity to the management and distribution of the commodity,' the statement said.

Premix fuel distribution at the landing beaches is in the hands of the LBCs comprising the Chief Fisherman as the Chairperson, representatives of canoe owners, fishmongers and the District Assembly and a fisher nominated by the Ministry in consultation with the District Assembly.

The committee then needs a secretary and pump attendant to oversee the daily running of the LBC.

However, the statement indicated that, due to the non-adherence to the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2233, the LBCs were formed without the appropriate representation as specified in the Instrument.

The statement said in most cases, the identifiable groups mentioned in the (LI) 2233, do not know their representation in the LBCs, because they are not involved in the selection of the representatives.

'This undermines accountability, transparency, and effective management of the distribution of premix fuel, and breeds the mismanagement that has characterized the distribution at the landing beaches'.

The statement called on all canoe and net owners to join the association to make it stronger in all fishing communities across the country.

It said this will make it easier for the NPFS to request representation of canoe owners from the local association of canoe and fishing gear owners and will go a long way to improve the management and distribution of premix fuel at the landing beaches.

Source: Ghana News Agency