Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister, Emelia Arthur, has said the blue food sector is pivotal for enhancing nutrition, strengthening economies and driving industrial growth towards a resilient future.
The Minister was speaking at the official opening of the novel Blue Food Innovation Hub in Ghana (BFIH), championed by the Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana and its partners.
As part of the World Economic Forum’s global Food Innovation Hub Network, the Hub, according to Madam Arthur, will serve as Ghana’s primary vehicle for translating policy ambition into market-driven, scalable solutions for fisheries and aquaculture.
The initiative builds on the foundations laid through the Blue Food Partnership Ghana process and signals a shift from dialogue to coordinated, implementation-focused action.
Fish and other blue foods account for approximately 60 percent of the country’s total animal protein intake and support the livelihoods of nearly 10 percent of the population.
Although aquaculture has expanded over the past two decades, the minister explained that the sector continues to face persistent challenges, including rising production costs, disease outbreaks, limited access to finance, post-harvest losses, gaps in technical capacity, and fragmented market linkages.
Despite the challenges, the Hub, Madam Arthur said, will foster new opportunities for collaboration and innovation, creating an enabling environment to attract investment and unlock the full potential of the country’s blue food ecosystem.
CEO, Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana, Jacob Adzikah, indicated that the Blue Food Innovation Hub will contribute to curbing critical challenges in Ghana’s blue food sector.
“The Hub seeks to unlock skills development, innovation and technology adoption, access to markets, and financing for enterprises. It will also support creation of sustainable jobs and business opportunities, particularly for women, youth, and marginalized groups including people with disabilities (PWDs) along the value chain” he said.
He called on stakeholders to support the Hub with the resources required to achieve its ambition, adding, “the Chamber anticipates to unlock at least US$20 million in private sector investment by 2032, to energize the blue food ecosystem, strengthen enterprises, and generate sustainable livelihoods across the country.
According to the Chamber, the Hub will roll out its accelerator programme to enroll the first cohort of enterprises. This programme is designed to address cross-cutting barriers within the blue food sector and to provide tailored support to SMEs and startups within the blue food ecosystem.
Head of Sustainable Growth and People Agenda at the World Economic Forum, Tania Strauss, explained that BFIH in Ghana exemplifies the power of multi-stakeholder collaboration to drive meaningful change.
By bringing together government, private sector, academia, and civil society, Strauss said the World Economic Forum is proud to support Ghana’s leadership and to help catalyse innovation that benefits communities, economies, and ecosystems.”
