Ghana and Türkiye have agreed to strengthen cooperation in fisheries and aquaculture, with the two countries set to establish a technical cooperation framework covering investment, research, technology transfer, fisheries management and capacity building.
The agreement was reached during a high-level bilateral meeting between Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture and Türkiye’s Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Forestry, Ebubekir Gizligider, at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.
Under the proposed cooperation, Ghana and Türkiye agreed to promote Turkish investment in Ghana’s aquaculture value chain, particularly in commercial cage farming, hatcheries, fish feed production and Recirculating Aquaculture Systems.
The two countries also agreed to establish research linkages between Ghanaian and Turkish scientific institutions to support fish stock assessments, disease prevention and the development of climate-resilient aquaculture practices.
Ghana is seeking to expand aquaculture as pressure on its marine fisheries continues to affect the availability of fish from capture fisheries. Concerns over overfishing and declining stocks have increased the importance of developing aquaculture as an additional source of domestic fish production, while the broader fisheries sector continues to support livelihoods across fishing, fish farming, processing and trading.
Aquaculture has become important to Ghana’s strategy for closing the gap between domestic fish supply and demand, particularly as declining fish stocks and pressures on marine resources constrain catches from the country’s capture fisheries.
Ghana and Türkiye therefore agreed to explore investment in modern production systems that can improve yields and make aquaculture more commercially viable. The cooperation will also seek to strengthen Ghana’s capacity in fish processing and cold-chain infrastructure, allowing more fish to be preserved and processed locally while reducing post-harvest losses.
The two countries are also seeking to expand market opportunities for Ghanaian seafood in Türkiye while creating opportunities for Turkish companies to participate in fisheries and aquaculture investments in Ghana and other African markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
In fisheries management, Ghana and Türkiye agreed to share technical expertise, vessel monitoring systems and data-driven tools to strengthen surveillance and efforts to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing.
Training and knowledge exchange will also form part of the cooperation, with targeted programmes expected to support Ghanaian scientists, fisheries extension officers and private fish farmers.
The meeting concluded with an agreement in principle to establish a Ghana–Türkiye Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Cooperation Framework, providing a formal structure for implementing the areas identified by both countries.
The agreement represents a new area of economic cooperation between Ghana and Türkiye and could provide Ghana with access to investment, technology and technical expertise needed to expand aquaculture, strengthen fisheries management and build a more productive and commercially oriented seafood industry.
