Accra, July 2, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama, on Friday called on the 16 member-states engaged in the prevention of pollution at the Gulf of Guinea to adopt pragmatic Regional Strategic Plan of Action that would combat all threats to marine life.

"I want you to set standards of safeguarding sea and marine fishes so that it does not affect the livelihood of fishing communities along the Gulf of Guinea and to avoid all sorts of poaching." Vice President Mahama made this call when Ministers of Environment and Natural Resources from 16 countries called on him at the Osu Castle, Accra, to inform him of the steps they were taking to avoid the pollution of the gulf in the West African sub-region.

The Ministers, who are mostly from ECOWAS member countries, are attending a two-day conference on pollution of the Gulf of Guinea, in Accra. They are expected to adopt measures that would permanently rid the area of perennial pollution, poaching and other hazardous activities. The Vice President urged them to be guided by the Gulf of Mexico pollution, which had spread to other regions and draw up perpetual strategies that would make marine life to flourish. "I will personally be happy if you as Ministers speak so much of plastic pollutions in the coastal areas as that has now become a canker in our coastal areas in the continent."

Mrs. Sherry Ayitey, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, led her colleagues to the Vice President's office. She said that the committee, which started in 1993 with only six members, had been increased to 16 members because of the immense interest various states had over the years developed in the exercise. Mrs Ayitey gave the assurance that the committee would soon be transformed into a commission to acquire more powers to perform its duties creditably.

She said that member countries would also strategize to ward-off all marine poachers along the Gulf of Guinea and beyond and called for cooperation among stakeholders in the industry.