The Concerned Chief Fishermen of Keta Municipality group in the Volta region is appealing to government through the Minister for Fisheries and Aqua Culture Development Hon. Elizabeth Afoley Quaye to intervene in an impasse between the fisher-folk in the municipality and the MCE for the area Hon. Godwin Edudzi Effah.
In a four page petition signed by all chief fishermen of the eight landing beaches in the municipality, addressed to the fisheries and aqua culture minister and copied to the presidency, the media and other stakeholders, the group is alleging that the MCE took various sums of monies from them promising to supply them with government subsidized outboard motors but has failed to fulfill his promise since August 2020.
The group claims that several attempts made by them to get the outboard motors released to them have all failed compelling them to confront the MCE for a refund of their monies as they felt defrauded. They further claimed that, ‘they paid a total sum of GHC 340,000.000(Three hundred and forty thousand cedis) to the MCE covering 34 Yamah outboard motors with a subsidized value of GHC10,000.00(Ten thousand cedis) per one but were only supplied with 5 amounting to GHC 50,000.00(Fifty thousand cedis).
They added that, the MCE upon confrontation agreed to refund the money and has indeed refunded GHC 100,000.00(One hundred thousand cedis) to them leaving a total sum of GHC 190,000.00(One hundred and ninety thousand cedis to refunded to them. They opined that ‘the MCE seems to be playing hide and seek with them over the rest of their money meanwhile he made a promise to refund within the month of November which has also gone by without any sign of hope.
The fisher-folk are therefore appealing to the sector minister to as they put it “intervene in this disturbing matter and to use your good office and position to impress upon the MCE to as a matter of urgency refund the said GHC190,000.000(One hundred and ninety thousand cedids to us before the December 7th general elections for the sake of lease”.
See below the four page petition image:
By: Nelson Ayivor / awakenewsroom.com
