They have been reminded of the consequences of such acts that may include heavy find, imprisonment or both since government heavily subsidizes the premix fuel to help reduce the burden on fishermen and promote activities in the fishing industry.

Emphasis has also been placed on effective and transparent management of resources that accrued from the sale of the premix fuel in carrying out community development in consultation with the people.

These issues came to light at a day sensitization programme for Coastal Landing Beach Committees in Accra.

The programme brought together representatives from all the four regions along the coast of Ghana; Western, Central, Greater Accra and Volta regions. The groups included four representatives including the chief fisherman, canoe owner, fishmonger and one other member.

Addressing Journalist after the programme, Director of Fisheries Mr. Michael Arthur Dadzie said the programme was necessary because of some issues that have been identified to have been affecting the industry that needed to be curtailed through awareness creation.

These issues include among other things artificial shortages, diversions, selling above stipulated prices, miss appropriation of funds that accrued from the sale and meant community development.

Therefore the objective basically is to make sure that
-    fuel allocated to the landing beaches get to the designated places;
-    fuel are sold at stipulated prices;
-    benefits that accrued gets to the allocated account for community development among others.   

To this end, some measures have been instituted to address these things. Among them include the installation of tracking devices on trucks to prevent diversion. And that any tampering with the device attracts criminal action against all those who are involved.  

A regional account has also been created to allow all LBCs to deposit their 53% profit for community development into and will only access the money after submitting approved documents on their intended development projects.

Participants had the privilege of being educated on the establishment of the LBCs, its functions and tenure; the role of the secretary and pump attendant of LBCs and distributions of premix fuel margins and bank accounts; tracking, monitoring of premix fuel as well as offences and penalties that each attracts. Their roles to creating active community participation, awareness creation, transparency through quarterly reports among other.