He says fishermen must be allowed to buy premix fuel directly at fuel stations.

[contextly_sidebar id=”QIsm58qltqJHGmgqovzi3VcFX38d8JBg”]Papa Kwesi Nduom’s comment comes on the back of the recent premix fuel diversion scandal that has rocked the Ministry of Fisheries and the National Premix Committee.

In a Facebook post, Dr. Nduom, who is also the Chairman of Groupe Nduom, said making premix fuel readily available for the fishermen will help curtail all the incidents of diversions and the high cost of the product.

“Why can’t a fisherman take his or her money to a petrol station and buy pre-mix fuel without fuss? Why allow greedy politicians to mess around with the livelihood of the fishermen who are already struggling to make a living?” he quizzed.

The NPA in series of letters dated between January and October 2017, informed the National Premix fuel Committee and the Fisheries Ministry to take action against some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) that are involved in the diversion of the product meant for fisher-folk in the country’s coastal communities.

The OMCs, according to the letter, took the consignment of pre-mix fuel at the Tema Oil Refinery, supposedly to be supplied to fishing communities outside Accra, but ended up supplying them within Accra often to industries at higher cost.

The development, which has persisted for several months, appears to be a major factor for the collapsing fishing industry, with a decline in local fish production and increase in fish imports.

Following the publication by Citi FM, many stakeholders have charged the government to take a serious view of the situation and act to avert it.

Below is the full statement of Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom

I don’t get this, about pre-mix fuel.

It has been reported in the media that…” The National Petroleum Authority (NPA), is frustrated by what it has discovered to be massive diversions of pre-mix fuel loaded from the Tema Oil Refinery. Yes, I get it the state subsidizes this type of fuel. But we have been subsidizing others too over the years.

Why can’t a fisherman take his/her money to a petrol station and buy pre-mix fuel without fuss? Why allow greedy politicians to mess around with the livelihood of the fishermen who are already struggling to make a living? I come from a fishing town, Elmina and I know what I am talking about. The government should find a better, direct way to help fishermen. Including safeguarding our part of the ocean from illegal fishing by both locals and foreigners.

Background

At least 200 cases of premix fuel diversions have been cited by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), since January 2017.

The Ministry of Energy, in May 2017, subsequently ordered the Fisheries Ministry to probe the companies alleged to be complicit in the fuel diversion, but that did not happen.

When quizzed on her role in the scandal by Citi News, Mrs. Afoley Quaye said the NPA was in a better position to act on the widespread diversion of premix fuel, because her Ministry did not have a tracking system to identify culprits.

Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, also defended her decision to appoint her brother as the Acting Administrator of the National Premix Secretariat, saying he was competent enough and has since left the position and been replaced by a substantive appointee.

Scrap ‘badly executed’ premix policy – Wereko-Brobby

Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, who once served as policy adviser when the sale of premix fuel for fisher-folk was instituted, has also suggested that the whole policy as currently exists must be scrapped.

Whilst the policy introduced in 1990 was intended to help fisher-folk, Mr. Wereko-Brobby said “the intent was badly executed.”

The diversion has been viewed as extremely scandalous considering that in 2016 for example, $45 million was signed in subsidies to help fisher-folk in Ghana, whose livelihood has been in sharp decline.

“How much of the $45 million [in 2016] actually went to fishermen? It went to unscrupulous middlemen who sit on committees and misuse the funds of Ghana because they sell it off as fuels for ordinary engines. So let’s go back to square one and do the right thing.” Charles Wereko-Brobby suggested.

Premix subsidy only going into private pockets – Senyo Hosi

The Executive Director of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD), Senyo Hosi, says government needs to consider scrapping the subsidy on premix fuel, since such monies are only ending in private pockets through the diversion of the commodity meant for the country’s fisher-folk.

“The NPA I’m aware has fined some of these OMCs and some of them have paid, indicating that some of these OMCs are complicit. There is criminality associated with this, what must happen is that, people be held accountable and responsible. We have to start with the premix secretariat and the Fisheries Ministry. Why are they not cooperating with the NPA. The institutions that are failing to cooperate with the NPA must be brought to book,” he said.

“I’ll expect that the presidency should take a keen interest in this because the presidency oversees all these institutions….We should possibly even have an open inquiry because it has been lingering on for a long time. We may even need to consider scrapping this entire subsidy thing because the subsidy for premix is largely ending in private people’s pockets,” he told Richard Sky on Eyewitness News.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Stop controlling premix distribution – Nduom to gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

His call comes in the wake of the recent premix fuel diversion scandal which was supposedly superintended by the minister’s brother.

[contextly_sidebar id=”TudaPa07vCUzMM30bsk5Hi8roHwjv6XS”]In a statement copied to citifmonline.com, Edward Bawa also called for a parliamentary probe into the scandal, which he said is of great worry to the country’s fisheries sector.

According to him, the parliamentary probe, which must be bipartisan, has become necessary due to the executive’s unwillingness to investigate the matter.

Edward Bawa, who is also a member of the Energy and Mines committee of Parliament, also alleged that the diverted premix fuel was being sold to motorists at the various pumps.

Citi News gathered earlier this week that, at least 200 liters of premix fuel had been diverted by Oil Marketing Marketing Companies that claimed to supply the product outside Accra, but ended up supplying mostly within Accra for industrial purposes at a higher cost to make more profit.

This was indicated in series of letters from the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), to the National Premix Committee and the Ministry, alerting them over the development.

The Ministry, however failed to act on the matter.

Read the full statement below:

PARLIAMENT MUST SET UP A BIPARTISAN COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATE THE LATEST HAPPENINGS IN THE PETROLEUM DOWNSTREAM SECTOR

It has come to my notice and indeed the notice of most Ghanaians that about 200 trucks of premix fuel meant to power fishing boats in our coastal areas have been diverted to pump stations in the country and sold to unsuspecting motorists.

This is a very worrying development, particularly as fishermen are not only denied this subsidized product, which is critical to their operations, but also the product has the potential to damage the engines of vehicles. It is indeed an off spec petroleum product for our pumps.

What is more worrying is that, the chairman of the National Premix committee, who is a brother of the Minister for Fisheries (the appointing authority) is being alleged to be behind this scandal.

If this is true, the Minister must, as a matter public morality and good governance resign.

This development also comes on the heels of the Minister for Energy’s refusal to make public, the report of the Dr. Lawrence Darkua’s committee that supposedly investigated yet another scandal at BOST.

This was a scandal where five million litres of off spec petroleum product was sold to an unlicensed company without going through the necessary procurement processes. In essence, that process had all the marks of corruption written all over it.

What is more disturbing is that, the Minister for Energy on November 23, 2017, in a response to a parliamentary question posed by me, told parliament that, as a measure to ensuring that off spec petroleum products do not get to our pump stations, NPA was using tracking devices on BRVs and a marking scheme to monitor the movements of all petroleum products.

This recent development proves that the Minister was not candid with Ghanaians. This is because, as at the time the Minister was making this statement, an agency under his supervision knew that an off spec product, in the form of premix fuel, was being sold at our pump stations.

This indicates that, the Minister can no longer be trusted to protect consumers against the sale of contaminated petroleum products in the country.

I am therefore calling on Parliament to, as a matter of urgency, set up a bipartisan committee to investigate this development, as the executive led by H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo has demonstrated it’s unwillingness to tackle the problem for reasons best known to them.

Edward Abambire Bawa (MP for Bongo & Member, Mines & Energy Committee).

‘We don’t have tracking system; NPA must arrest culprits’

The Minister clearly reacting to the development in a Citi News interview, appeared indifferent about her role in addressing the problem of pre-mix fuel diversion, as alleged by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

According to her, the Ministry does not have a tracking system to identify culprits, hence the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), which has a system to track such happenings “must take action.”

Fisheries Minister justifies brother’s appointment on premix c’ttee

The Minister, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, has however defended her decision to appoint her brother Joseph Botchwey, as the acting Administrator of the National Premix Secretariat.

Some have blamed the appointment of Joseph Botchwey as interim administrator of the Committee as a likely cause of the premix distribution challenges.

Speaking to Richard Dela Sky on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye laughed off the matter, saying “will you not appoint a competent brother of yours to hold a position in your office? Would you not? Because you hate your relations, even when they are competent enough to hold positions, you will not give it to them?”

Still directing her comment at Richard Dela Sky, Ms Quaye said: “I have not put myself in any conflict of interest. Maybe you have to go back yourself, and find out who is the substantive administrator of the premix committee. His or her government has ended and a new era is in place. He or she is not at the premix secretariat, please!”

According to the Minister, that acting interim administrator has since left the position, and a substantive person has been put there.

CID petitioned

Meanwhile, a civil society group calling itself the Fisheries Alliance, has petitioned the Director General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, to investigate the suspected premix fuel diversion scandal.

In a letter to the CID, the Alliance cited President Nana Akufo-Addo’s directive to ensure investigations into any corruption allegations against his appointees as the reason for their action.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Bawa calls for Fisheries Minister’s resignation over premix scandal appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Fishermen in Ghana’s coastal areas have complained of the irregular supply of premix fuel throughout the year, a situation that is affecting their livelihood.

Citi News this week laid hands on a scandal where Oil Marketing Companies (OMC’s) diverted 249 consignments of premix fuel meant for fisher-folk across the country, to be sold to industries, mostly within the Tema metropolis.

[contextly_sidebar id=”XYSl2hVWNHOOdP00KzcebxU5idsq36aN”]Some have blamed the appointment of Joseph Botchwey as interim administrator of the Committee as a likely cause.

But speaking to Richard Dela Sky on Eyewitness News on Tuesday, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye laughed off the matter, saying “will you not appoint a competent brother of yours to hold a position in your office? Would you not? Because you hate your relations, even when they are competent enough to hold positions, you will not give it to them?”

Still directing her comment at Richard Dela Sky, Ms Quaye said: “I have not put myself in any conflict of interest. Maybe you have to go back yourself, and find out who is the substantive administrator of the premix committee. His or her government has ended and a new era is in place. He or she is not at the premix secretariat, please!”

According to the Minister, that acting interim administrator has since left the position, and a substantive person has been put there.

Even though the Ministry by a legislative instrument is mandated to police the sector, the Minister told Citi News that she expected the NPA to effect the arrest of the perpetrators.

“We have not had a tracking system so when they find people culpable, why are they not arrested? They should be arrested because we do not have a tracking system and the NPA is also a statutory institution – a state institution that works together with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, their duty is to do the monitoring and find out who are perpetrating what crime so they find these people out. All I expect is that these people will be prosecuted…As the Fisheries Minister, all I do is to ensure that the premix fuel gets to the Fishermen. If the NCA tells me that they have found some OMCs perpetrating this crime, I expect the NCA to take an action.”

 I don’t have tracking system; NPA must arrest 

The Minister clearly appeared indifferent about her role in addressing the problem of pre-mix fuel diversion as alleged by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).

According to her, the ministry does not have a tracking system to identify culprits hence the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), which has a system to track such happenings “must take action.”

The NPA in series of letters dated between January and October 2017, informed the National Pre-mix fuel Committee and the Fisheries Ministry to take action against some Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) that are involved in the diversion of the product meant for fisher-folk in the country’s coastal communities.

The OMCs, according to the letter, took supply of the pre-mix fuel at the Tema Oil Refinery supposedly to be supplied to fishing communities outside Accra, however, they ended up supplying them within Accra often to industries.

The development, which has persisted for several months, appear to be a major factor for the collapsing fishing industry, with a decline in local fish production and increase in fish imports.

But in a rather combative interview, Madam Afoley Quaye said she was informed that the supposed diverted pre-mix fuels were duly received.

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Fisheries Minister justifies brother’s appointment on premix c’ttee appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

But the impact of climate change and high imports has limited the growth of the local fishing sector at least for the past seven years.

In the fourth of Citi Business News’ series, Left to die, we take a look at how the fishing industry is going down on its knees in the absence of no major intervention.

Click to listen to the full audio report

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By: Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

The post Left to die: fishing industry on life support (Audio) appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Ghana, which consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually, currently imports over 60 percent of its fish. Ghana in 2016 imported $135 million worth of fish because of the reduction in the country’s fish stock.

[contextly_sidebar id=”88gSGwENHB6vZNd01ivxZkIBjCgzh4mk”]According to the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, the huge imports could be blamed on the steady depletion of Ghana’s fish stock.

“We have a deficit of over 60% of production of fish in Ghana. So we import over 600,000 metric tonnes of fish and we produce less than 400,000. At the moment we have our stocks depleting steadily and we really have to do something quickly about it else we lose our stocks entirely,” she told Bernard Avle on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday.

Afoley Quaye, however added that her outfit is doing everything possible to reverse the trend.

“What the Ministry of Fisheries is doing at the moment is that, we are trying as much as we can to stop illegal fishing because this is the main contributor to the depletion of our stocks,” she noted.

The Minister highlighted three different scenarios she claimed were contributing massively to the depleting fishing stock including transshipment, light fishing and harvesting wrong fishes.

With the transshipment method, Afoley Quaye said vessel owners usually sell their catch at sea before returning to the ports.

“This method of fishing is when the vessels go to sea, they make their catch and they sell their fish at sea. They do not come down to the port to report their catch so the nation can also make revenue from the business that the fishers are doing.”

“Another form is light fishing. This light fishing is done mostly by the artisanal fishers and the semi-industrial fishers. They fix a light equipment into the fish with the aim of aggregating the fish towards the light. All manner of fishes are drawn to the light so they scoop everything including those ones that are supposed to be left in the sea to grow including those with eggs,” the Minister explained.

She noted that the light fishing method has been outlawed in Ghana, adding that the Fisheries Ministry is doing everything possible to ensure that the law is complied with.

“Another form of illegal fishing is harvesting wrong sizes of fish to the ports. So we have formed a task-force which is inspecting the vessels and catches at the harbour.”

She noted that the task-force’s role among other things is to arrest captains of vessels who could not communicate with Ghanaians properly as well as unhealthy conditions of their crew.

“So what we are doing is to be sure that those who are captaining the vessels with Ghanaian flags; those registered in Ghana, the captain should be able to speak our language and be able to communicate with the crew. When it is found out after the inspection that the crew members are not sleeping in good conditions as well as the vessel not being in good condition that is also seen as illegal fishing,” she added.

Ghana Police chase two Chinese for importing unwholesome fish 

The Minister made the remark on the back of the Ghana Police Service’s manhunt for two Chinese nationals who are said to have imported unwholesome tilapia into the country.

According to the Police, they have a bench warrant to arrest the two; Zhang Ming alias Gary and Chu Yong Shuai “for the offence of importation of Tilapia Fish in commercial quantity into the Republic of Ghana without permit contrary to section 130 (1) and (3) of Fisheries Act 2002 (Act 625) respectively.”

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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Light fishing involves fishermen using strong lighting to attract fishes. The practice depletes the fish stock as fingerlings are even caught in the process.

During her appearance before Parliament’s Appointments Committee for vetting, Mrs. Afoley Quaye explained that government was working on a fisheries collaboration management plan that would empower fishermen to also police the sea.

“We have a Fisheries Collaboration Management Plan being drafted. What the fisheries collaborative intends to do is to devolve some of the powers of the fisheries Commission into the hands of the fisher folk.”

“What will happen is that, the fishermen will become their own watchdogs and they will have the right to arrest colleague fishermen who are engaged in this practice of light fishing.”

Aside the Fisheries Collaboration Management Plan, the Navy will also be better resourced to patrol Ghana’s waters, the Minister-nominee assured.

“We will empower our Navy. We will help the Navy to acquire some patrol boats to ensure that patrolling our waters are intensified,” Elizabeth Afoley Quaye affirmed.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Gov’t to allow fishermen to ‘police’ light fishing – Afoley Quaye appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the party, the plan is part of its major vision to transform Ghana’s fishing industry if it is voted into power in the December polls.

The focal person for the NPP’s agric ahead of the 2016 elections, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, at the party’s manifesto launch, said the NPP will develop a sustainable fisheries sector by making available the necessary tools and facilities for fisher folks in Ghana’s fishing communities.

Speaking at the party’s 2016 manifesto launch in Accra, Elizabeth Afoley Quaye, added that, the NPP will ensure a transparent and effective delivery of premix fuel to fisher folk as well as eliminating pair trawling and other illegal fishing methods to ensure a vibrant fishing industry.

“We shall develop an effective and sustainable fisheries sector by ensuring the availability and effective distribution of premix fuel to the fisher folk. We will eliminate import duties for fishing equipment. We will also rigorously enforce the laws against pair trawling and other illegal fishing methods. Top of the agenda for fisheries will be the programme of building landing sites and storage facilities,” she added.

According to her, the facility will be built at locations including Cape Coast, Teshie, Nungua, Axim, Keta, Ada, Senya Breku, Jamestown and Winneba.

 ‘Poultry and veterinary products’

On the poultry industry, she said the NPP will collaborate with the private sector to improve access to credit to expand production, so they can make profits from their businesses.

The NPP parliamentary aspirant for Krowor constituency, Elizabeth Quaye, added that the NPP will support farmers to reduce post-harvest loses by ensuring guaranteed buying for their products.

She said an NPP government will do this through capitalizing on government’s purchasing power to ensure that food purchased with government funds are purchased from local farmers especially under projects such as the school feeding programme.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post We’ll build 10 landing sites for fishing communities – NPP appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.