Chair of the Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs Committee of Parliament, Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, together with the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Emelia Arthur, led Ghana’s delegation to Busan, South Korea, to participate in the 10th Our Ocean Conference, themed “Our Ocean, Our Action”. 

The conference aimed at promoting global efforts towards a sustainable ocean.

Discussions focused on the concept of Digital Oceans, which integrates the ocean industry with digital technology to serve as an effective implementation tool for achieving ocean sustainability swiftly and systematically.

Dr Jasaw actively participated in panel discussions, side events, and bilateral meetings, all aimed at attracting additional investment, partnerships, and collaborations to promote sustainable fisheries in both Ghana’s marine and inland waters.

A key highlight of the conference was a meeting with Senator John Kerry, the 68th US Secretary of State, during which discussions centred on how he could help amplify Ghana’s case for greater international support and participation.

Another significant engagement was with Ms Charlina Vitcheva, Director-General of the European Commission for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. The meeting addressed the yellow card warning issued by the European Union to Ghana. 

Ms Vitcheva expressed satisfaction with the progress Ghana is making towards enhancing transparency and enforcing deterrent sanctions against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in its waters. She pledged to initiate the necessary processes towards lifting the yellow card warning.

The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, reaffirmed its commitment to the Transparency Charter and expressed its intention to incorporate relevant outcomes from the conference into national efforts to improve sustainable ocean governance.