Freddie Blay
The Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Freddie W. Blay, has debunked the assertion that the sea weed invasion of the coastline in the Western Region, is as result of the activities of the oil companies operating in the area.
The sea weed, also known as Sargassum, has invaded the coastline of Western Region, which is threatening fishing activities and crippling the local economy.
The phenomenon had brought fishing activities to a standstill in the affected areas, particularly, in the Nzema enclave.
The fishermen and fishmongers in the area had attributed the invasion of the sea weed to the oil exploration and production in the nearby territorial waters.
They alleged that before the exploration of oil and gas along the west coast, there was no mass invasion of sea weed.
However, during a visit to some coastal communities in the Nzema enclave of the Western Region, the Board Chairman of GNPC, Freddie Blay made it clear that the invasion of the sea weed was not as a result of oil exploration or operations of the oil companies in the area as had been perceived.
He said the situation could be as a result of the climatic conditions and global warming, adding that as at 1998 when he was a Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, there was once an evasion of sea weed along the coast.
The GNPC Board Chairman was in the Nzema area to assess the situation and to interact with the fisher folks as to what can be done to salvage the situation.
Mr. Blay and his entourage, including the Executive Secretary of the GNPC Foundation, Dominic Eduah, visited some coastal towns in the Nzema East Municipality and the Ellembelle District including Axim, Apewosika, Esiama and Eikwe.
It was revealed during the visit that the weeds had dried up and some of the residents were seen cleaning the beaches.
Mr. Blay described the situation as very disturbing as it had affected the livelihoods of fishing communities along the West Coast.
“So we needed to visit the affected areas to see what is happening and to what extent we can help,” he stressed.
Mr. Blay appealed to the media to help disabuse the minds of the fishermen and residents in the coastal communities that the invasion of the sea weed was due to the activities of the Jubilee Partners.
At Ellembelle, the District Chief Executive, Kwasi Bonzoh noted that the fishermen in the area could not experience a bumper catch as a result of the sea weed which invade the area intermittently.
The chief fisherman for Lower Axim, Nana Kofi Bentil, said the situation compelled the fishermen to suspend fishing activities to avoid the destruction of their nets and other tools by the weed which he said “moves in volumes.”
Meanwhile, some residents in area asserted that in other parts of the world, Sargassum is used for cosmetics and other things that are useful.
They, therefore, said government should take a second look at the natural resource and see how best Ghana can make Sargassum a blessing and not a curse.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Axim