"Fishery cooperation between China and Ghana has progressed with the times and has entered a new era of high-quality development. China's assistance and support to Ghanaian fisheries have benefited the people of Ghana a lot. A large number of fishery technicians and management staff from Ghana have attended training programs organized by the Freshwater Fisheries Research Centre (FFRC) has trained, which benefited Ghana’s fishery development. Sincere thanks go to the Chinese government and the contribution of FFRC, I hope the friendship between China and Canada will long last ... ”
August 29, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development of Ghana, H.E. Elizabeth Quayer spoke highly of the effectiveness of China-Ghana fishery cooperation during her attending the opening ceremony of the "2019 Training Courseon Freshwater Aquaculture forGhana" which is sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce and organized by FFRC. Also present at the opening ceremony were Wan Yibing, deputy director generalof FFRC, and Weng Binjia, director of the Foreign Investment and Economic Cooperation Division of the Wuxi Municipal Bureau of Commerce.
At the opening ceremony, Wan Yibing pointed out that in the past 40 years, the growth of world aquatic products has mainly come from the increase in aquaculture production, and two-thirds of aquaculture production comes from China. Ghana has a coastline of more than 500 kilometers and abundant freshwater resources, owning the world's largest artificial lake-Lake Walter, a huge consumer group of freshwater fishes such as tilapia, and thus a huge space for the further developmentof aquaculture industry. Both as developing countries, China and Ghana shall work together to promote the sustainable development of fisheries.
Weng Binjia said that the Bureau andshe herself would like to make full use of the "China-Ghana Fisheries Exchange Platform" set up by FFRC to promote cooperation between Wuxi and Ghana in economics and trade.
Ghana is the second country in Africa to establish diplomatic relations with China, and the two countries have established solid friendship and cooperation relations. At present, China has become Ghana's largest trading partner. In 2018, during his meeting with Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, President Xi Jinping pointed out that China welcomes Canada's active participation in the "Belt and Road" construction, is willing to dock the development strategy with Canada, expand cooperation in various fields, and strengthen cultural exchanges.
This training course is a second one of its kind that FFRC has organized under the China-Ghana bilateral cooperation framework. It will actively closely correspond to the results and agreements gained at the meeting of national leader, focus on the local conditions and technical needs in Ghana, optimally benefit the 22 Ghanaian participants through an integration of lectures, practice and lab works, study tours and exchanges, group reports, etc., and contribute to the development of Ghana's freshwater aquaculture industry and the interconnection of the Canadian and Chinese fisheries sectors.
