Ocean investment vital for jobs, development – SYND

By Kizito CUDJOE

Increased investment in ocean protection could help create jobs, strengthen local economies and curb rising losses from illegal fishing, a leading youth climate advocacy NGO – the Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) – has said.

Executive Coordinator-SYND Chibeze Ezekiel, speaking on the sidelines of a ceremony to mark ‘World Ocean Day’ in Accra, noted Ghana loses around US$50million annually to illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, a figure he described as “a missed opportunity for national development”.

“Imagine what US$50million a year could do if we invested it back into coastal communities, into education, health and job creation,” Ezekiel said.

“This isn’t just about protecting fish. It’s about protecting livelihoods, building resilience and reducing economic pressure on government.”

It was along these lines that Ezekiel was speaking at the youth-led forum organised by SYND in partnership with the French Embassy in Ghana and Alliance Française ahead of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, encouraging a greater focus on the ‘multi-billion fishing industry’ made possible by the ocean.

The SYND event focused on ocean health and plastic pollution, bringing together students, activists, diplomats and environmentalists to spotlight growing threats to the country’s marine ecosystems – and how local action can feed into global solutions.

“This programme gives young people a voice in the global conversation,” Ezekiel said. “We’re trying to connect grassroots realities to international policies and bring those lessons back home.”

He said more than 2 million Ghanaians depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, from artisanal fishers to market women. But rising sea temperatures, pollution and overfishing, often by foreign trawlers operating illegally, have taken a toll.

Ezekiel called for stronger policy action and targetted investment, including deploying patrol vessels, improving enforcement and supporting alternative, ocean-friendly livelihoods. “We need to treat this as a development issue, not just an environmental one,” he said.

The Head of Cooperation at the French Embassy in Ghana, Julien Lecas, also speakinfg in an interview reaffirmed France’s commitment to supporting Ghana’s environmental and ocean-related efforts.

“In Ghana, we’re already working with five cities of the north on a ‘Sustainable Cities’ initiative in collaboration with the UN and EU,” Lecas said.

“We’re also supporting efforts in Tamale to improve flood control, strengthen dams and address plastic waste.”

He noted that water preservation is becoming a central part of development cooperation, alongside climate-smart agriculture and waste management. “We all have a role to play, citizens, government and the private sector,” he said.

Globally, oceans generate half of the world’s oxygen, regulate the climate and provide food for over 3 billion people. But analysts warn that without urgent action, the combination of warming waters, plastic pollution and habitat destruction could have irreversible consequences.

The Accra event served as a local platform ahead of the third UN Ocean Conference, which is expected to address the role of oceans in global trade, food security and the transition to sustainable energy.

It also included an art exhibition and products produced by indigenous Ghanaian startups from waste products, among other green innovations.

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