Mr Justice Camillus Mensah, the Programme Manager at Hen Mpoano, says that community ownership will be the backbone of Ghana’s first Marine Protected Area (MPA) to be established at the Greater Cape Three Points.
Hen Mpoano is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the sustainable management of Ghana’s coastal and marine ecosystems and championing the processes towards the designation and implementation of Ghana’s MPA.
Mr Mensah, speaking at a media forum powered by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, said the MPA process, which had evolved over a decade, has been driven by scientific studies and grassroots mobilisation across the 21 communities within the Cape Three Points enclave.
He described the MPA as “a national park in the sea” aimed at protecting biodiversity while securing long-term benefits for the people.
He explained that studies conducted under USAID, the EPA’s Maame Water project and the Fisheries Commission, among others, identified the area as the most biologically significant zone for protection, given its abundance of pelagic and demersal fish, mangroves, estuaries, rocky reefs and annual whale and dolphin migrations.
Mr Mensah said Ghana had adopted a bottom-up co-management approach, following lessons from other countries where MPAs failed due to top-down imposition.
He noted that a three-tier governance structure, made up of community level, cluster level and national level, would enable fishers, mongers, mangrove users, and institutional representatives to jointly manage the protected area.
He said engagements were ongoing with non-local fishers, traditional authorities, and other stakeholders on a peer-to-peer basis ahead of the expected designation in the first quarter of 2026.
The Hen Mpoano Programme Manager said the MPA would deliver long-term ecological and economic benefits despite short-term livelihood challenges for small-scale fishers.
He said the approximately 700-square-kilometre MPA would introduce zonation and regulated access based on community decisions, scientific advice, and national policy.
He explained that enforcement would rely heavily on voluntary compliance, supported by local monitoring groups including the Landing Beach Enforcement Committees (LABECs), community monitoring teams, and the Navy.
“Compliance becomes easier when the community owns the process,” he said, adding that three years of engagement have already built strong acceptance.
Mr Mensah highlighted the tourism potential of the enclave, home to Ghana’s only coastal rainforest, turtle nesting beaches, migratory whale routes, and unique coastal landscapes.
He noted that gazetting and legal documentation, including the publication of coordinates on nautical charts, are crucial steps ahead of full designation.
