New Opportunities New Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development

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4.2.1 New Opportunities New Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development

Fisheries issues has become more prominent and gained increased policy attention as a result of the establishment of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and the involvement of Ghana in the West Africa Regional Fisheries Program WARFP. The sector is now poised to achieve its full potential and address the declining trend in its performance with the support of development partners and collaboration of some Non-Governmental Organizations. The ICFG has maintained a cordial relationship with the Ministry and Fisheries Commission and by so doing, enhanced communication on fisheries policy development and implementation. The WARFP on the other hand, could serve as a vehicle for replicating ICFG best practices in fisheries governance. Collaboration with the National Development Planning Commission Participation of personnel of the NDPC in climate change course organized by the ICFG in collaboration with the University of Cape Coast, initiated ICFG’s collaborative relationship with the NDPC towards the formulation of national mid-term development policies, especially on coastal and fisheries governance. ICFG was invited to meetings convened by the NDPC and contributed to orienting national policies on coastal and marine management. Furthermore, NDPC’s enactment of the legislative instrument on Joint Development Planning Area lays the foundation for piloting ICFG’s proposed joint approach to coastal management for the Western region. Coastal Sustainable Landscapes Project The entry of the USFS in the Western region as the lead implementer of the CSLP offers an opportunity to follow-up on and builds upon components of the ICFG Initiative involving the Cape Three Points and Amanzule Wetlands focal areas. This includes building upon experiences with the CREMAs as well as expanding the successes of the wetlands management initiatives, especially the joint planning and management arrangement among a diverse group of stakeholders for conservation of the Amanzule landscape. This also creates an opportunity to build upon the social capital generated through the 4 year life-time of the ICFG in the focal areas of the CSLP. Transition of ICFG to H ɛn Mpoano.org for Sustainability The ICFG Initiative recently formalized as a civil society organization and officially adopted the name ‘H ɛn Mpoano’. Together with Friends of the Nation, a working relationship has been forged to ensure local ownership and sustainability of ICFG efforts at the local, regional and national levels. Future projects now being planned by a variety of donors in Ghana’s coast, each with their own unique objectives, names and operational structures, will be able to take advantage of the professional skills, extensive contacts and technical knowledge of Ghana’s fisheries and coastal communities built up by the core team.

4.3 Monitoring, Evaluation, Performance Management and Reporting