Anomabo, Ghana – President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, has reiterated his commitment to completing the Anomabo Fisheries College, a project envisioned to advance aquaculture education and research in the country.
According to him, the idea for an aquaculture school was first proposed in 2008 when Ghana’s former president, the late Prof. John Atta Mills, was campaigning.
“The late Prof. Mills, during his 2008 campaign, engaged with fisherfolk from Aflao to Axim. It became evident that there was a need for a specialized school to educate fisherfolk on the fishing industry and to serve as a center for aquaculture research,” he recalled.
President Mahama explained that the NDC included the project in its manifesto, and when Prof. Mills won the election, he initiated the design phase. John Mahama, who later succeeded him, ensured that construction began.
“So in that year, in the NDC manifesto, we promised to build the Anomabo Fisheries College on the Bura Anamoah land in Anomabo,” he stated.
“We won the election, and Prof. Mills fulfilled the promise by starting the design process. Under my leadership, we secured contractors, and construction began before I left office in 2016,” he added.
However, the President expressed deep concern that the project was abandoned for eight years under the NPP government, despite significant progress being made.
“It is very sad that after eight years, a project funded by taxpayers’ money has been abandoned. The project was near completion—generators, air conditioners, and other essential equipment were already in place. Only a few finishing touches were left to complete Phase One, before moving to Phase Two,” he lamented.
He described the Anomabo Fisheries College as one of many abandoned projects across the country, attributing the neglect to partisan politics.
“During the campaign, I said it—this is just one example of abandoned projects in the country. The same situation can be found across Ghana. Abandoning projects funded by taxpayers’ money just because they were started by political opponents is like cutting off our nose to spite our face,” he stated.
Addressing the chiefs and people of Anomabo as part of his Thank You Tour to the Central Region, President Mahama reaffirmed his commitment to completing all government-funded projects, regardless of which party initiated them.
“That’s why we promised that if we win, any project funded by taxpayers’ money—whether started by the NDC or the NPP—our government will secure funds to ensure its completion,” he said.
He assured the people that the remaining work on the project is minimal, and his administration will swiftly take steps to ensure its completion so that students can begin their studies.
“What remains to be done is not difficult. We just need to bring in chairs and beds for the students, provide teaching materials for the lecturers, and construct access roads leading to the school. Once that is done, we can commission it for students to start using,” he said.
The President also revealed that he has instructed the Minister of Fisheries and the Minister of Finance to hold a meeting and determine the necessary budget allocation for the project’s completion.
“I have told the Fisheries Minister to sit with the Finance Minister to assess the funds required to complete the school project. The necessary budget provisions will be made in the financial statement to be presented in March,” he said.
Furthermore, President Mahama promised to fulfill the late Prof. Mills’ vision of making the Anomabo Fisheries College an affiliate of the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
“Prof. Mills had a vision that this campus would be an affiliate of the University of Cape Coast, since UCC has a Faculty of Agriculture, which will oversee the Anomabo Fisheries College,” he said.
He concluded by highlighting the project’s significance to the NDC’s Blue Oceans Economy manifesto, describing it as a flagship initiative aimed at transforming Ghana’s fisheries and aquaculture sector.
“This is what is stated in the NDC’s manifesto as the Blue Oceans Economy, and this is a flagship program for our Blue Oceans Economy manifesto promise,” he said.
Story by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh (#RomeoWrites
) / Ahotoronline.com | Ghana 
