NDC enjoys a credit scheme to empower fishermen | Politics

The presidential candidate of the Democratic National Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has assured the fishermen of the Party’s determination to establish a credit scheme to support their livelihoods.

The scheme, he explained, would offer flexible microcredits, advisory services and effectively empower actors in the fishing value chain to ease the financial burden on them as they developed their businesses.

The scheme would allow fishermen to take money for an extended period, he said, adding that the line of credit would obtain an umbrella loan to generate capital over an extended period to support their businesses.

The presidential candidate announced this in separate durbars for fishermen in Elmina and Cape Coast as part of his four-day tour of the Central Region.

He announced plans to rebuild the Elmina fishing market and rehabilitate an existing cold room to increase the work of fishermen in the area considered to be the heart of fishing in the Central Region.

He said the NDC had prioritized the completion of the abandoned landing beach projects that began when he was elected in the 2020 election and also solved the challenges of a shortage of premixed fuel by supplying it directly to fishermen.

According to him, the “intermediaries” in the supply chain of the premixed fuel frustrated the fishermen and will eliminate them to ensure the direct supply to the fishermen at the various landing beaches.

He said a new NDC government will facilitate the acquisition and supply of fishery inputs such as outboard motors and fishing nets on credit for fishermen.

On job creation, Professor Joshua Alabi, director of the Party’s 2020 Campaign, revealed that the Party would absorb apprenticeship fees paid by carpenters, welders, plumbers, electricians and hairdressers, among others.
He referred to vocational training programs, free TVET, the commitment to repeal the law prohibiting the importation of accidental vehicles and the elimination of import duties for commercial vehicles and agricultural equipment.

He said the party would introduce a one million job plan, a $ 10 billion Big Push investment and establish Agricultural Mechanization Centers to boost production, food processing, marketing, among others, as major initiatives to improve the everyone’s life.

Dozens of fishermen took turns addressing the meeting, pointing out numerous challenges, including the lack of financial and logistical support for themselves and the fishing industry, pleading with the government to halt the closed fishing season and ease the challenges of premix fuel distribution. .