Hεn MPOANO: Western Ghana Integrated Coastal and Fisheries Governance

ICFG: Improving Governance in the Shama District

The central aim of this activity is to explore and test ways to strengthen the governance of the Shama District, working on a range of issues important for that area. Shama is a newly created District that faces a number of challenging coastal development and conservation issues including shoreline development, erosion and coastal hazards, flooding of settlements and urban areas, and the conservation and sustainable use of wetlands and estuarine areas.

Shama is frequently mentioned in discussions of the need for special mechanisms for fostering attention within the Western Region on coastal management and fisheries as well as building capacity for overall spatial planning and decision making. It continues to be the showcase location for visitors and training events. Other activities include small grants and assessments of landing site issues and elements of the local fish processing (fish smoking) value chain. Hen Mpoano has contributed to the preparation of Shama’s spatial development framework. The approach engages stakeholders and brings policy through a cycle that proceeds from issue identification to analysis and plan formulation, culminating with formal adoption and proceeding to implementation and review.