Stakeholders deliberate on Marine Spatial Planning in Ghana  

The Secretariat of the Fisheries Committee of the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Fisheries Commission, has held a National Training Workshop on Marine Spatial Planning in Ghana.  

The four-day workshop was held as part of the project “Using Marine Spatial Planning in the Gulf of Guinea for the Implementation of Payment for Ecosystem Services and Nature-Based Coastal Solutions (MarEcoPlan).  

The capacity-building and stakeholder skills development workshop allowed the various technical structures involved in the management of marine and coastal areas of Ghana to understand the tool and its scope of application.  

It also provided participants with knowledge for the development, implementation, and monitoring of marine and coastal management plans and the prevention of potential conflicts.  

The training had representatives from the?Ghana?Petroleum Commission, Ghana Navy, Hen Mpoano, Ghana News Agency, Ghana Maritime Authority, IUCN, Ministry of Fisheries, Ghana Maritime Authority, Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, Fisheries Commission, and other members of the project’s Ghana national working group.  

The MarEcoPlan project is a three-year, three-million-dollar pilot Marine Spatial Planning (MSP)?project, being implemented in three FCWC Member States: Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo,?jointly with the IUCN, and?is being funded by the?Global Environment Facility (GEF).  

Dr Gaston Antoine Djihinto, the FCWC Secretary-General, during the opening of the workshop, said the meeting was the beginning of the?process of bringing together stakeholders and experts committed to the sustainable management of marine and coastal areas within the region of the FCWC.  

He stated that Marine Spatial Planning was a collaborative and strategic process that helps to manage the ocean spaces more equitably, efficiently, and sustainably,?especially at a time when the marine environments were under increasing pressure.  

He added that the workshop aimed at providing the stakeholders with the essential tools, methodologies, and frameworks that underpin effective MSP, while offering a platform for dialogue, idea exchange, and national cooperation,?as successful marine planning depended on shared understanding and integrated approaches.  

Mr Kossi Ahoedo, MarEcoPlan Project Coordinator, noted that as part of the project, a series of stakeholder training sessions have been scheduled on key topics to strengthen capacities for effective project implementation.  

Prof. Benjamin Campion, the Executive Director of the Fisheries Commission, Ghana, expressed commitment to sustaining the ocean due to its numerous benefits to humans, reiterating that Ghana had designated Cape Three Points?in the Western fishing region as a Marine Protected Area?as part of the management strategies.  

The workshop was facilitated by MarEcoPlan’s International MSP Consultant, Mrs Dieynaba Seck, with support from Dr Kwame Adu Agyekum,?MarEcoPlan’s Ghana MSP consultant.  

Participants had role play on the various MSP concepts, which included strategies to identify and overcome barriers, challenges and potential conflicts between various users of marine and coastal spaces; familiarisation with the essential tools for developing an effective marine and coastal management plan; and assessment and adaptation of MSP plans in line with ecological and socio-economic developments.  

Source: GNA  

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