WTO boss wants Ghana to ratify Fisheries Subsidies Agreement
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has appealed to the government to formally accept and ratify the organisation’s Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies which was adopted by consensus at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) in June last year.
The agreement, she said sets new binding and multilateral rules to curb harmful subsidies, which are a key factor in the widespread depletion of the world’s fish stocks.
With about 12 million people in Africa feeding off the gains of fishing, she said it was important that African countries immediately rectify the agreement to help manage its fish resources.
Ms Okonjo-Iweala made the appeal on Tuesday when she called on the Ministry of Trade and Industry as part of her first official visit to Ghana, since taking office on March 2021. Her African tour initially was expected to take her to five other countries aside Ghana, after next stops to Cote D’Ivoire and Kenya, she will fly back to Geneva, Switzerland before coming back to continue the tour.
According to her, she expects Ghana to expedite the ratification by June this year even though the deadline given to member countries is February next year where the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) will take place in the week of 26 February 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“One of the things I am going to ask your excellency and Mr.President is that Ghana should ratify the agreement as soon as possible, if you ratify it there is also a fund called the Fisheries fund -we are raising US$20m and already US$7m has been pledged to help developing countries strengthen their management capacity to manage their fisheries. Many of our countries need strengthening.”
The Agreement prohibits support for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, bans support for fishing overfished stocks, and ends subsidies for fishing on the unregulated high seas.
“I want African countries to ratify this agreement faster, so Ghana can set an example and I hope Minister can help so by June, Ghana ratifies” she added.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Kobina Tahir Hammond, on his part indicated that government is conscious of the agreement and is making efforts to get it ratified in good time to enable the country access portion of the WTO’s US20m dollars fisheries fund to assist developing countries.
“We will do our best, Ghana takes seriously its responsibilities with these organisations and if there is this matter to recognize and ensure that effective ratification to ensure a smooth process, we assure you will we will do our best, but as it is in our country we will have to first ratify and go into our incorporation of ratified document into our law for it to become effectively operational. The minister of fisheries will be notified about it, we will go the president and discuss it with him, I am sure it will be ratified in good time for the next meeting.” the minister said.
Mr. Samuel Quaatey, technical advisor at the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture said the country js at the “planning stage and undertaking stakeholder engagement ” before it will be drafted and sent to Cabinet before onward transfer to parliament for approval.
However before all these fine details are effected, he disclosed that amendment needs to be made to the country’s Fisheries Act to be in tandem with WTO’s Fisheries Subsidies.
The Fisheries Subsidies when ratified will help prevent over-exploitation and illegal vessels charting on the country’s oceans.
There are 44 African countries who are members of the World Trade Organisation, with its purpose being the guardian of rules on how private sector trade with each other.
