ASC staff join a site visit to a fish farm in Ghana.
Photo: ASC.
Accra, Ghana recently hosted the One Health Aquaculture workshop, an event gathering together experts from Ghana, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, and the UK, to explore the development of sustainable aquaculture in the region.
A key speaker, Roy van Daatselaar, Head of the ASC Improver Programme, emphasised the potential for "responsible aquaculture" in Ghana, and the ASC's support of the Blue Foods Partnership (BFP) in the country.
“Ghana is a frontrunner in Africa when it comes to professionalising and transforming its local aquaculture industry," van Daatselaar said in an ASC press release.
"Through collaboration, investments and research, the potential to contribute to the regional food security agenda is promising. Responsible aquaculture is key in this vision and ASC is happy to support the industry in Ghana towards success,” he said.
Participants in the One Health Aquaculture workshop.
The workshop also offered a platform for stakeholders to delve into the practical aspects of aquaculture operations, including the ASC certification process.
Jacob Adzikah, CEO of Ghana's Chamber of Aquaculture, remarked on the workshop’s success in providing an excellent opportunity for networking and learning about the impacts and benefits of ASC certification on sustainability.
Topics covered during the meeting included management of environmental and social issues and the implementation of new technologies aimed at improving safety and health in aquaculture production. Among the innovative tools introduced was the Seafood Risk Tool, designed to manage chemical and pathogen hazards across the supply chain.
The event was co-organized by the UK government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), along with CEFAS, and in collaboration with the World Economic Forum’s Blue Food Partnership Ghana Initiative and its primary local partner, the Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana.