By Hebrews Pouyeli Kumako
The Ketu South Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Nicholas Worclachie, has unveiled a long-term strategic vision to transform domestic fish farming into large-scale external aquaculture, aimed at boosting food production, job creation, and economic growth across the municipality.
Speaking at the BizBox Youth Economic Empowerment Programme, Hon. Worclachie disclosed that the current home-based fish farming initiative is deliberately structured as a pilot project, intended to justify and catalyse major public investments in dredging key wetlands and lagoons across the municipality.
“We started this as a strategic undertaking — moving from domestic fish farming to what I call external fish farming. This will enable us to lobby for the dredging of our wetlands and water bodies from Tokor Tagbaa through Akame, Agbozume, Denu to Adina, where water is available throughout the year,” he stated.
According to the MCE, the success of the pilot project would provide economic justification for large-scale dredging works, enabling commercial fish farming in major wetlands and lagoons, including the Akame River and surrounding lagoon systems.
“When we begin to see the economic benefits of this intervention, it will give us the impetus to extend the project to the lagoon and river systems. This will allow us to lobby strongly for dredging our water bodies for sustainable aquaculture development,” he explained.
The plan, he said, will unlock vast economic opportunities, improve food security, and generate employment for hundreds of young people, particularly women.
Hon. Worclachie praised the high female participation, noting that over 85 percent of the beneficiaries are women, which influenced the decision to sustain and scale up the project.
“When we analysed the data, the number of women far outweighed the men. Women are naturally disciplined, patient, and committed. Their strong participation is the key reason we are determined to sustain this programme,” he noted.
He described women as naturally endowed with the resilience, nurturing instinct, and managerial discipline required for aquaculture success, especially in home-based production systems.
The MCE reaffirmed his deep commitment to agriculture, stressing that aquaculture development would become a cornerstone of Ketu South’s local economic transformation agenda.
“Through your hard work, your discipline, and your commitment, we can build a compelling case for public investment in dredging and aquaculture expansion. Your success will become our strongest argument,” he said.
Municipal officials say the strategic roadmap will position Ketu South as a future aquaculture hub in the Volta Region, leveraging its rich wetlands, lagoons, and river systems for commercial-scale fish production.
The programme is expected to stimulate local enterprise development, create sustainable jobs, reduce poverty, enhance nutrition, and strengthen the municipality’s food value chain.
Source News Volta
