A multi-thousand-cedi fish processing facility, constructed under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Addo-Bawumia administration to transform fish preservation in Penkye, has been left to rot.
The uncommissioned plant now stands abandoned, worsening a sanitation crisis and undermining the livelihoods of local fishermen and fishmongers.
The facility, designed as a modern alternative to traditional preservation methods, has deteriorated beyond use.
According to the Assembly Member for the area, this failure has forced the community back to smoking and salting fish, practices ill-suited for large catches and vulnerable to spoilage in Penkye’s humid environment.
During a recent visit to Penkye, Bernard Kwame Dogbey, a level 300 journalism student, at the University of Education, Winneba uncovered a community in distress.
Beyond the piles of refuse and choked gutters, the heart of the economic challenge lies in the absence of proper preservation systems.
Ama Asantewaa, a fishmonger, lamented, “We lose a lot of our catch to spoilage because we cannot preserve it properly. Smoking and salting are what we know, but they are not enough. If we had that facility working, we could process more, sell more, and get better prices, especially for export. Now, it’s just a white elephant, a monument to broken promises.”
The Assembly Member, Benjamin Fiifi Sackey, echoed the frustration.
“The past government indeed constructed these facilities to resolve the critical issue of fish preservation, primarily for the export market. However, the project was never commissioned.
“I wrote letters to the Effutu Municipal Assembly, but nothing positive came out, and now the facilities are in a deplorable and uncomfortable state, completely unusable,” he said.
Residents are demanding answers about the project’s collapse, questioning the funds spent and the lack of follow-through.
“We want to know how much was spent, who the contractor was, and why it was never handed over to the community,” said Kofi Mensah, a resident. “This is our money, the taxpayer’s money, and it has been left to waste. We demand accountability from the authorities involved. We need to know what happened so it doesn’t occur again.”
The abandoned facility also feeds into Penkye’s broader sanitation crisis. Without modern preservation, fish waste is often dumped indiscriminately, worsening clogged drainage systems.
Public Health Officer Samuel Aketuah of the Effutu Municipal Assembly has repeatedly warned that the conditions create fertile ground for cholera, diarrhea, and malaria outbreaks.
The situation threatens both the local economy and public health. Fish spoilage reduces income and export potential, while poor waste management heightens the risk of disease.
“Addressing this is no longer a choice, it is an urgent necessity,” Hon. Sackey stressed. “We are calling on the current government and relevant agencies to not only look into the accountability of the past project but to also prioritise a sustainable solution for Penkye. Our fishermen deserve better.”
Source: Bernard Kwame Dogbey
Journalism and Media Studies Student
University of Education, Winneba
(JMS-UEW)