Regional News of Friday, 10 July 2015

Source: Reagan Odei Ofosu Osarfo

GN Groupe launches Fishermen Pension Fund in Elmina

GN Groupe launches Fishermen Pension Fund in Elmina GN Groupe launches Fishermen Pension Fund in Elmina

GN Groupe has announced its readiness to put up more infrastructure projects and help develop our coastal areas with focus on the life of all fisher folks.

On that note, GN Groupe has launched the Fishermen Pension Fund in Elmina today to end the long term challenge fishermen have been faced with.

In a ceremonial event at the Bakano in Elmina fisher folks were briefed on the importance and need to be on a pension scheme by a team from PenFund.

Addressing the fisher folks, Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom president of GN Groupe indicated that the time has come where fishermen live a good healthy life after a life time career.

He said their job play an important role in our economy and therefore shouldn’t be seen penniless when age catch up with them and decides to get off the canoe.

He advised and urged all fishermen to embrace this opportunity GN Group is offering and ensured them of the safety of this particular pension fund.

The Edina Paramount Chief Nana Kojo Konduah also added his voice saying it is a prayer answered for fishermen in all the coastal areas in the country and hopes no one politicized this idea.

“Fisherman has been face with a lot of challenges and our lives after retirement have been a problem for us all these years. Today with the help of a visionary leader, we going to have this problem solved. This is for our own good and I trust it won’t rest only in Edina but to other regional fisher folks as well" he said.

Our work is capital intensive and energy intensive so when age catch up with you that’s all, there’s nothing you can do about it. Because you won’t have the energy to fish again and if you don’t get to support your life with pension funds like this or do something in your youthful days then you go penniless and struggle with life. Fishing is not just business, it a livelihood.

We start at a tender age and can’t stop till you have no energy to fish again. It is good that GN Groupe is supporting us with this pension fund. This means the mistakes today won’t be repeated in the future. It will interest you to know that fishing provides 4.5% of GDP just like the oil and gas industry.

"The only difference is fishing is a renewable natural resource whiles oil and gas is not, so government should invest much in it and shouldn’t watch it collapse. Because if it does, it will be a big time security threat for the whole country. I think it is in order to have this pension fund to ease us off some of the life challenges we battling ourselves with. This is the best thing that has happen to this industry" Nana Joejo Solomon president of the National Canoe Fishermen Council noted.