The Integrated Coastal & Fisheries Governance Initiative (ICFG)

The central objective of the ICFG Program was to work with partners at the local (Western Region coastal districts and their communities and other institutions) and national scales to assemble the necessary pre-conditions for a fresh approach to a formally constituted coastal and fisheries governance program that could serve as a model for Ghana. The program also supported USAID strategic objective of Feed the Future and activities were guided by the philosophy of ‘learning-by-doing’ and ecosystem-based approach to natural resources management.

Activity Description

The ICFG Initiative locally known as “Hɛn Mpoano” was framed to support the government of Ghana in achieving its development objectives of poverty reduction, food security, sustainable fisheries management and biodiversity conservation. The program was designed to work across two scales – local scale (community and district level, bottom-up approach) where issues profiled provided the basis for national level engagements for policy decisions for effective and efficient nested coastal and fisheries governance. The Initiative’s activities focused on the six coastal districts assemblies to build popular support for new approaches to coastal and fisheries governance.

Expected Outcomes

Establish enabling conditions (capacity, constituencies, commitment, goals) for a fresh and integrating approach to coastal and fisheries governance in the Western Region and at the national and regional scales are assembled.
Assure changes in behavior at local, regional and national level are setting the stage for generating benefits.
Enable changes in behavior at the local, national and regional levels are supporting the ecosystem approach to coastal and fisheries planning and decision-making and more sustainable forms of coastal resource use.