Parliament passes Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2025

The Parliament of Ghana has passed the Fisheries and Aquaculture Bill 2025 after taking the Bill through a certificate of urgency.

Explaining the purpose of the Bill to the House, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Emelia Arthur noted that the Bill has been revised to reflect Ghana’s commitment to the Blue Economy agenda.

She was of the view that this underscores the importance of harnessing marine and aquatic resources sustainably to support economic growth, social inclusion, food security, and environmental protection.

Presenting the report of the Committee to the House the Chairman of the Committee, Godfred Seidu Jasaw indicated that the Fisheries and Aquaculture sectors contribute significantly to national development particularly in the areas of job and wealth creation, poverty reduction, Gross Domestic Product contribution and foreign exchange and will remain so, provided the resources are managed sustainably.

He added that, the sustainable management, utilization and exploitation of the fisheries and aquaculture resources require the existence of a robust legal framework that govern fishing activities, regulates resources extraction, and ensure compliance with international and national environmental standards.

Parliament also passed the University for Development Studies Bill,2025 after taking the Bill through certificate of urgency.

Explaining the purpose of the Bill to the House, the Minister of Education, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu noted that the Bill seeks to establish the University for Development Studies(UDS) through the re-enactment of P.N.D.C.L 279 in order to restructure and empower the University for Development Studies to provide quality and higher education to meet the diverse and development needs of the country.

Presenting the report of the Committee to the House, the Chairman of the Committee Hon. Peter Nortsu-Kotoe indicated that the Committee acknowledges the significant structural changes that have taken place since the establishment of the UDS over the past 32 years of its existence.

Accordingly, it has become necessary to review P.N.D.C.L 279 to bring the law into conformity with current policy and best practices adopted in public universities in Ghana. The reform is essential to enhance the effectiveness of the university in achieving its mandate.