45 Information was collected to meet all the objectives by selecting people or respondents
purposively. Effectively key informants were identified through their statuspositions in the premix committees in the landing beaches. Therefore to ensure that information collected was
valid the key informants were selected from among the local people who directly dealt with the premix fuel. However, other people who were not also from the community but
command enough information concerning premix in Ghana were used as key informants.
2.4 Data Collection Methods
The major instrument was interviewing and the tool used was in-depth interview guide played a significant role because of the use of the key informants in a case study situation.
The in-depth interview guide was used for respondents at the national, regional and the landing beach committees in order to establish possible political influences. Additionally
where circumstances allowed, a focus group discussion was conducted among some members of the community to obtain their views about the impact of pre-mix on the livelihood of the
people, its sale and the benefits accruing from the pre-mix to the community.
2.5 Limitations to Data Collection
Basically, there were challenges to the data collection because of the sensitive nature of the politicized issues on pre-mix. This meant researcher had to be sure of who the key informants
were and did not allow any other persons to assume to be key informants but only to spread falsehood about pre-mix. It further meant information obtained had to be cross-checked for
their validity.
2.6 Data Analysis
The data obtained with field notes and tape recorders were transcribed and categorized into themes. These themes and sub-themes were developed and made the basis for the narration of
the stories and issues connected with the pre-mix.The narrations were mindful of direct expressions from respondents not necessarily to make reading interesting but also to provide
focus to specific issues that respondents drew attention to.
3.0 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
3.1 Introduction
The introduction of premix fuel into the country in the 1990’s has seen different focus and attention depending on the government in power and the demand prevailing at each time.
Various governments therefore have tackled the premix issue differently and with different outcomes. The burning desire for fishermen to constantly have premix fuel at their disposal
for their fishing operations have also contribute to the inertia on governments to fulfill fishermen’s demands at any cost. Meanwhile the fishing communities have also added to the
debate on premix fuel as their livelihoods strongly depend on whether they can go fishing or not. These communities rely heavily on the premix because that is the sole fuel that can
power their outboard motors to a greater distance for effective fishing and improved quantities of fish catch. Nonetheless the quantities of premix supplied at each time also
depended on the availability of crude oil to the Tema Oil Refinery which is the sole agency in charge of mixing the product and giving it the right combinations suitable for the outboard
motors.
46
3.2 Historical Justification of the Premix
Long before the introduction of mechanized fishery in 1946, Ghana then Gold Coast had a long traditional fishery in its coastal waters. In those early days there was a powerful dug-out
canoe fleet, propelled by oars and sails, which used fishing gears, such as ali nets, beach seines, hook and line, cast nets and set nets, to fish for the then abundant resources close
inshore Ocran, 1972.This was largely the nature of fishing along the coast of the country. This form of fishing continued for some time until the introduction of outboard motors.
The introduction of outboard engines to the canoes started in the 1950s, four years 1946 after the Fisheries Department had imported two 30-footer motorized fishing boats from the
United Kingdom into the country for experimental fishing Ocran, 1972. The outboard motors enabled the canoes to move farther out to sea from the coast and to make bigger
catches quickly in fewer hours or days than before. The success of the two 30-footer boats used by the Fisheries Department was such that in 1952, the Government of the Gold Coast
Ghana set up a Boatyard Corporation which started building similar boats at the Sekondi Boatyard. Without delay, several in-board engine wooden vessels with length ranging from
27’-32’ were built. When the Tema Boatyard was established in 1962, a large fleet of wooden fishing vessels with lengths up to 70-feet were built for the industry. Later, individual
entrepreneurs imported steel boats with sizes ranging from 30’-120’ feets into the country. There was therefore a drastic shift in fishing activities from the earlier use of canoes
propelled by paddling and in the luckier situations propelled by oars and sails. With the introduction of such outboard motors there was then the need to fuel these outboard
motors and the need for premix became necessary. The outboard motors introduced by the fisheries department were powered with fuel prepared under the guidance of the then
fisheries department and the Oil Marketing Companies. This fuel was a blend of regular gasoline and normal lubricating oil based on the manufacturer’s instructions. This was the
first introduction of premix into the fishing sector in the country. This combination of the fuel was in use until the early 1990’s. It must be noted that at that time only regular gasoline was
being sold before the introduction of the premium. The premix prepared during this period was subsidized by the government of the time.
The blend of gasoline and normal lubricating oil with a low octane rating of 87 was used for these outboard motors which proved suitable. With time from 1991 to 1994 the subsidy for
the government was too high to the tune of about ¢2.1billion and therefore the government withdrew the subsidy and then this left fishermen with no option than to obtain premix at a
high cost. However with the proliferation of outboard motors for fishing, there was then the need to obtain premix suitable for the two-stroke outboard motors used by the fishermen
along the coast of Ghana. Since the fishermen could not determine the right combinations of this fuel they were arbitrarily mixing the gasoline and lubricating oil in proportion that was
suitable to them first and could make the outboard motors function effectively to them. In 1991 regular gasoline was withdrawn from the market and in place was super-premium
with an octane rating of 9091 and fishermen have no option than to use the super- premium. But the use of super-premium and gasoline proved unsuitable to the fishermen when they mix
it for fishing because of the octane level and furthermore the premium was costly which also posed a problem to fishermen.
As the fuelling of the boats became more difficulty, the fishermen through the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen and the Ghana National Association of Fish
47 farmers pleaded with the then Government to re-introduce the premix which was suitable for
their outboard motors. After a year of research by the Ghana National Petroleum Co- operation and Tema Oil Refinery they came out with a fuel combination with an octane rating
of 8284 and a blending rate of 22:1 volume of lubricant. This new product was finally announced on the 9 May 1995 and this was subsidized meant solely for canoe fishermen.
After its introduction a ministerial committee was set up to see to its distribution and effective management. Again this product was equally subsidized and was sold at designated
centres which were called service centres and these service centres operated like co- operatives. Premix was sold to fishermen through associations formed by these fishermen
such as the Ghana National Association of Canoe Fishermen, and Ghana Inland Canoe Fishermen.
3.3 Objective for the Programme
