I love fish ... Do you? Am moved to share with you an interesting role played by women in the artisanal fisheries sector in Ghana, West Africa, Africa and the world as a whole. Well motivated after REJOPRAO's (Network of Journalists for Responsible and Sustainable Fisheries in West Africa) General Assembly and their participation in CAOPA's (African Confederation of Professional Artisanal Fishing Organisations) seminar both organised in Saly-Portudal, Senegal - not a day passes without talking about women in this sector.
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| Women in the thick of affairs; Offloading catch from canoes |
Admittedly, this area of agriculture is very technical making it very difficult for some well acclaimed journalists to report and educate the general public. The problems and constraints in the sector has also been overlooked. As a devout member of this network (REJOPRAO), I cannot hold anything back. I am through this piece asking that the most active and vibrant members of the artisanal fisheries value chain are applauded and hailed - Our WOMEN. The pictures says it all.
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Women: valuation, pricing and purchasing time
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The Women really deserve to be celebrated ( The World Women's Day). Guinea Bissau the venue for this year's celebration is christened; ''Equity for women is progress for all''. Personally this theme is fitting and very thought provoking. Considering this sector, I would like to discuss only one of the many challenges - financing. There are many financial institutions operating in various countries but how will you rate their support to the women in this area? Equity does not seem to exist in their dictionary. Financial facility are extended to more men than women. They are sidelined because of their inability to provide collaterals. These are very important variable in the value chain.
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Preparing the fish for processing
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During the seminar, presentations from WARI and Bank of Africa (BoA) sounded so promising. BoA, Senegal has a fund already signed to support women co-operatives in Senegal we look forward that other financial institutions will emulate this and extend to our women the necessary support so their livelihoods and that of their families are improved. WARI can also make the transaction of their businesses very simple and smooth.
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| Woman happily smoking fish |
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| Marketing of the processed fish |
Grandmothers, mothers, sisters, wives, daughters... we love you all and cherish your contribution.
By Nana Darko, Ghana
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