The Fisherwomen research project

Fishing is an important component of rural livelihood in communities along major rivers, lakes, and the coast. The role of women in the value chain has been culturally prescribed, limiting them to processing and marketing, making their livelihoods reliant on the availability of fish. Women's access to fish for processing and marketing is reported to depend on their ability to invest in fishermen's businesses, have a fisherman husband, or access credit to buy fish. 

These factors, coupled with traditionally and culturally defined roles, limit women's access to fish and their potential to contribute to Ghana's fisheries. Notwithstanding gender segregation in Ghanaian fisheries, women in communities along the White Volta River in northern Ghana have overcome fishing restrictions. They are accessing fish themselves by going out in canoes to participate in finfish harvesting using baskets, a domain traditionally perceived as men's. It is a whole-woman's fishery, with skills handed down by mothers, aunts, and grandmothers to daughters, nieces, and grandchildren. 

Dr Ameworwor's research is conducted at Nawuni and Dipale to support the long-term livelihoods of these women fishers along the White Volta River and to increase their active involvement in sustainable fishing. Specifically, her research identifies management strategies effective for managing the women's fishery. The research will also assess factors influencing the shift in fisheries gender roles, develop an action plan, and provide interventions to manage fisheries through a co-management approach. 

Sustaining the livelihood of women fishers along the White Volta River in Northern Ghana

View the visual report of the community engagement as part of her research: