By: Seraphine Nyuiemedi
Ghana is set to transform its fishing industry by tackling deep rooted labour issues through an innovative collaboration with the media. In a four-day capacity-building workshop, led by the International Labour Organization (ILO), media practitioners were trained to become key drivers of labour rights awareness, particularly in the fisheries sector, where informal work dominates.
The workshop organised in Takoradi, the Western regional capital, follows Ghana’s recent ratification of the ILO’s Work in Fishing Convention (C188) on August 28, 2024.
The National Program Coordinator for the ILO’s 8.7 Accelerator Lab Program, Emmanuel Kwame Mensah, highlighted the pivotal role media would play in ensuring this convention’s successful implementation.
While the workshop focused on labour law and decent work standards, it offered an intriguing perspective on the media’s capacity to bridge the gap between policy and community awareness.
One of the most striking challenges discussed was the widespread absence of formal contracts for workers in the fishing sector. Many fishermen work under informal agreements, often unaware of their rights. The media’s new role, according to Mr. Mensah, will be to ensure that the fishermen themselves understand their rights and demand formal contracts that secure their wages and working conditions.
The training also underscored the urgent need to address social protection issues, such as pensions for fishermen. The workshop featured a field trip to the Takoradi Fishing Harbour that allowed journalists to observe firsthand the difficult working conditions in fishing communities. Many of the fishers observed during the field visit had worked for decades but lacked access to pensions or savings plans.
“A major takeaway for the media is that labour is not a commodity, human beings are behind the figures,” Mr. Mensah emphasized. “We must ensure labour rights are integrated into the country’s economic policies.”
The workshop also took a bold stance on child labour. While children often assist in fishing, the line between learning and exploitation can be blurred. Mr. Mensah emphasized that media narratives should distinguish between culturally acceptable forms of child participation in work and harmful labour practices that deny children a future.
“Child labor isn’t justifiable, and the media must make that clear, just like you can’t justify a young man whose parents are dead and he’s 16 years old and he has to help feed four siblings, and he’s the first born, and therefore he decides to do armed robbery, you won’t justify the armed robbery for any reason” he stated.
Media practitioners were encouraged to use local languages, cultural references, and region-specific content to engage fishing communities. As Mr. Mensah noted, “The success of the convention depends on how well it resonates with the people it’s meant to protect. The media must help localize labour rights, ensuring that fishermen in the most remote areas understand and claim them.”
This media-led approach to labour rights represents a shift from traditional policy enforcement to community-driven advocacy. With the workshop concluded, the drafted media strategy will be finalized and put into action, marking the beginning of a media revolution in the fishing industry. The ultimate goal: a future where Ghanaian fishermen work under safer, more secure, and equitable conditions.
A lecturer at the University of Media, Arts, and Communication (UniMAC), Dr. Daniel Odoom, emphasized the importance of synergy between public and private media, stating that such collaboration would help complement each other’s strengths. This, he explained, would enable both sectors to better serve the public by providing more comprehensive and balanced coverage of important issues.
Thirty (30) media practitioners from the Greater Accra, Central, Western, and Volta regions participated in the workshop.
The attendees included representatives from stakeholder networks such as Social Mobilization Partners Against Child Labour (SOMOPAC), Citizen Journalism Network, and Journalists on Forced Labour and Fair Recruitment, as well as members from academia, among others.
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