National Fishermen Backs Hawa Koomson As Minister-Designate For Fisheries

The Ghana National Fishermen Council (GNFC) has supported Mavis Hawa Koomson to succeed as minister designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development.

This comes after the minister was put under scrutiny by the Ghanaian people following her bad english and inability to explain certain terms during her vetting.

However, the GNFC believes these uproars are only a distraction to relevant issues discussed during the vetting and they believe Hawa Koomson will be a good fit for the ministry.

A media statement released on February 23, 2021, by the association, reads in part: “As fishermen, our key concern and expectation is how the Minister-designate intends to tackle niggling issues like Seiko, light fishing, the influx of foreign fishing vessels and the need for a foreign vessel to conduct scientific research among others.”

The statement further reads: “We share the sentiments of several well-meaning Ghanaians who have since the fallout of the vetting exercise, opined that the mastery of English language is not necessarily a sign of competence. The Honourable Minister-designate will definitely work with technocrats and industry players who equally have the progress of the sector at heart. Accordingly, we encourage the media to set the agenda for a liberal conversation on how promises elucidated in the manifesto of the current government will be executed vis-a-vis the content of the vetting exercise.”

Below is the statement

MEDIA UPROAR FOLLOWING VETTING OF MINISTER DESIGNATE FOR FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT, HON. MAVIS HAWA KOOMSON UNNECESSARY AND A MISPLACEMENT OF PRIORITY.

We have taken notice of the media uproar which has greeted the recent vetting of the Minister-Designate for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson and wish to lend our voice as a primary stakeholder in the industry.

Following the vetting of the Minister-Designate, Traditional and Social Media have been awash with commentaries that have largely dwelt on the subject of “English Proficiency”. It is worth stating that the banal focus on English proficiency is misplaced and diverts attention from pertinent issues that arose from the exercise.

As fishermen, our key concern and expectation is how the Minister-Designate intends to tackle niggling issues like Seiko, Light Fishing, the influx of foreign fishing vessels and the need for a foreign vessel to conduct scientific research among others. Thankfully, these and many more were addressed by her.

We share the sentiments of several well-meaning Ghanaians who have since the fallout of the vetting exercise opined that the mastery of the English language is not necessarily a sign of competence. The Hon minister-designate will definitely be working with technocrats and industry players who equally have the progress of the sector at heart.

Accordingly, we encourage the media to set the agenda for a liberal conversation on how promises elucidated in the manifesto of the current government will be executed vis-à-vis the content of the vetting exercise.

In conclusion, we believe that the President, His Excellency, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who chose the effective outgoing Minister, Hon. Elizabeth Afoley Quaye has in his wisdom chosen the Minister-Designate to fulfil his vision for the Fishing Industry; having assessed her competence on many fronts, including her performance as Member of Parliament for the Awutu Senya Constituency and Former Minister responsible for Special Development Initiatives.

Source: GhanaFeed.com