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The Ghana National Association of Canoe Carvers are appealing to President Akufo-Addo and the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia to call the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture to order in what they describe as unfair treatment over a 3-year suspension of issuance of permits to Association members through the Forestry Commision.

They are also calling on the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson to rescind her decision over the ban.

Addressing their grievances to the media on Thursday in Sefwi Asawinso in the Western North region at a press conference, the Association which has over 500 members say they can't fathom why the minister will take such a decision without involving them in a stakeholders consultation.

The press conference comes in wake of a letter from the Ministry of Fisheries through the Forestry Commission to halt and ban the activities of the National Canoe Carvers Association.

According to the letter cited by UTV News, the three year ban of the suspension of Canoe permits takes effect from 8th December, 2023.

"We don't do illegal activities, we are a registered Association, approved and gazetted by government which we pay our taxes to government and can not understand why the Minister will take such a decision with her powers without engaging us," they told UTV Western North Regional Correspondent Kwabena Dickson.

"We have acquired loans from banks, we have paid for our permits to carve our canoes so how can the Minister ban us from doing our legal work?" they quizzed.

Mr Joseph Ackaah Mintah the National Vice Chairman addressing the media noted that "we are not the cause of not allowing the fish to grow, they should target the pair trawling and illegal mining which is destroying rivers that flows to the sea, these chemicals are the cause of killing the small fishes."

"The action taken by Hawa Koomson does not only affect we the Ghana National Association of Canoe Carvers but rather fishermen and Ghanaians as a whole," he added.

"We voted for you and you can't not use the power we gave to you to intimidate and abuse our right as citizens who work legally and pay our taxes."

According to the Association, if the Minister has something to do to protect the fishes in our rivers, she should rather join forces to fight against Chinese illegal miners who are killing fishes in our rivers that flows into sea.