Akufo-Addo: NACCF Facility Will Boost Food Security Agenda Of Government

President Akufo-Addo has stated that his administration’s quest to guarantee food security in Ghana has received yet another boost with the official commissioning of the National Aquaculture Centre and Commercial Farms (NACCF) Project in the Greater Accra Region.

The government of Ghana through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) initiated the establishment of the unique and innovative National Aquaculture Center and Farm.

The one-of-a-kind facility combines state-of-the-art Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology, which provided water purification at the highest level available. The Center will grow tilapia, catfish, and prawns, all of which are essential ingredients of the Ghanaian and West African diet.

Speaking at the inauguration of the National Aquaculture Centre and Commercial Farms on Thursday, 8 June 2023, at Amrahia in the Adenta Municipal Assembly, President Akufo-Addo said the coming into being of the project is yet another milestone in government’s effort to develop the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

“It is estimated that some 3 million people are employed along the entire value chain of the fisheries and Al aquaculture industries. Some 60% of the nation’s annual protein is derived from the fishing sector.

‘It contributes about 11% of agriculture’s GDP, and it employs about 20% of our nation’s workforce through direct and indirect means. Last year, our nation earned some 254 million United States dollars from the export of fish and fish products, ” President Akufo-Addo said.

“Sadly, our marine stocks face significant threats in the form of pollution, biodiversity loss, ocean dumping, overfishing, and other maritime threats, including over-expliotation, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, piracy and trafficking.

“These avoidable threats affect the livelihoods of millions of people. They affect food security prospects, they affect critical infrastructure, and they affect important ecosystems, ” President Akufo-Addo added.

Dwindling catches

To address the problem of dwindling catches from the sea and increasing demand for fish, President Akufo-Addo noted that his “government in 2019 in recognition of the aquaculture sub sector granted approval for the implementation of the greenhouse aquaculture technology system to help increase domestic fish production, to increase expertise in aquaculture and to create jobs for the youth”.

“To this end, the sod cutting for the realization of the project took place in 2021. The aim of the centre is to produce fish products and create employment through the training of the local population as fish farmers with emphasis on graduates from our universities,” Akufo-Addo pointed out.

“The centre compliments the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture’s development programme, “Agriculture for Food and Jobs” and reaffirms governments determination to reduce graduate unemployment in the country” he added.

Mordern technologies

According to the President, as “water bodies dry up and become polluted due to human activities and as the pressure on land acquisition increases, modernisation of aquaculture must involve the utilization of less space of water but at the same time, must increase productivity”.

“One such modern technology that has these attributes is the Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), which is being employed by the centre and commissioning today. Not only does this system offer minimum maintenance costs, and relatively moderate to low consumption. It also guarantees the production of healthy and export ready products,” President Akufo-Addo remarked.

“It will does ensure the production of 25 metric tons of tilapia, 25 metric tons of catfish, and 4 metric tons prawns annually. This will ultimately mean an increase in fish production, reduction in fish exports, and the enrichment of local capacity and technical know-how through the training of youth at the centre” the President further remarked.

The Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Hawa Koomson, in her address, noted that the centre is the first of its kind in Ghana. She registered her appreciation to the project contractors, Agrictop Limited, and the consultants, ABA and Partners, for the timely completion of the project.

New aquaculture plan

“The Ministry has prepared a new Ghana National Aquaculture Development Plan” to be implemented between 2023 and 2027 for the sustainable development aquaculture sub sector.

“The implementation of the plan is expected to improve aquaculture production from 89,376 metric tons in 2021 to 211,697 metric tons by the end of 2027” Hawa Koomson said.

“The operationalization of the sector will also helps to improve the implementation of the aquaculture for Food and Jobs initiative being [spearheaded] by the ministry by providing the needed practical training to beneficiaries of the initiative to improve their skills and capacities” she added.

The NACCF project

The Govenment of Ghana through the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) has initiated the establishment of a unique and innovative National Aquaculture Center and Farm in Amrahia, Greater Accra.

This one-of-a-kind facility combines state-of-the-art Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology, which provided water purification at the highest level available. The Center will grow tilapia, catfish, and prawns, all essential ingredients of the Ghanaian and West African diet.

These crops will be grown in greenhouses (“tunnels”) that will ensure disease-probability minimization and highest water quality possible. As part of the Center, a tailor-made model has been developed in which 90 students (per annum) will be trained (3 months per student), theoretically and practically, on the
operations of an aquaculture fam.

After graduation, the students will be granted the possibility to operate part of the farm on a leasing (cooperative) model, thus enabling them to implement their training and knowledge on a commercial level without the necessity to invest capital in starting their own operation.

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The project was built on a “Design and Build” basis by MS Agritop Limited, and the Employer’s representative is M/S ABA Partners. Agritop will operate the fam and train students for 2 years.

From Wilberforce Asare