Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development-designate, Mrs Mavis Hawa Koomson, has apologised for openly firing arms at a registration centre, in Awutu Senya East constituency, in the lead up to the 2020 General Election.
She said the decision was in self defence, and wished such a scene was never recorded in Ghana’s electoral history.
Mrs Koomson, who is the NPP MP for the area, stressed that “It was an unfortunate incident, which I wish never happened. I don’t also pray that it ever happens again in the history of our politics. Mr Chairman, I want to use this opportunity to apologise to the people, who were so scared on that day.”
The minister-designate, who appeared before Appointments Committee of Parliament, in Accra, yesterday, said “It was in defence of myself because I felt my life was in danger. That day, I thought I needed to save my life by defending it”.
She clarified that despite reports that the incident happened at a registration centre, “it happened outside of a registration centre. About 160 metres away.”
Mrs Koomson said the case was under investigation and could not narrate the details.
She fired shots at a registration centre during the compilation of a voters’ roll in July, last year.
Mrs Koomson appreciated the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations’ assertion that Ghana consumes about 1 million tonnes of fish annually, but produces about 400,000 tonnes, leaving a gap of 600,000 to be filled.
The minister-designate said the situation needed to be addressed, indicating that “When given the nod, my predecessors started the Youth in Aquaculture Development for Jobs, so we will enhance that programme to increase fish production for consumption in the country.”
Mrs Koomson said recognising the role of women at the marketing level in the fishing industry, she would “empower them” with soft loans for them to contribute more to the sector.
As the fourth largest consumer of tuna in the world with only four functional vessels from a possible 11, amidst dwindling fortunes, Mrs Koomson said she would champion investment in the fishing sector whilst ensuring the right fishing methods were used.
Mrs Koomson pledged to end the menace of premix fuel diversion by enhancing the tracking of distributors, to ensure that only qualified persons received fuel.
She said when she was Minister for Special Development in the previous administration, her outfit worked hard to the expectation of Ghanaians.
Mrs Koomson said she would implement the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme, if given the nod.
She added that the procurement of some 307 ambulances, 10, 000 hospital beds, provision of dams in villages in the North were visible achievements of the previous administration.
