Leiden University Student Repository

Evans, Aincre 2019

Caught in The Net: An Investigation into NGO Development Interventions Targeting Coastal Fish-smokers in Ghana

Master thesis | African Studies (MA)

open access

Fish-smoking is a popular post-harvest preservation method in Ghana, predominantly carried out by women in fishing communities. NGOs and researchers in Ghana in the 1950s identified a range of...Show moreFish-smoking is a popular post-harvest preservation method in Ghana, predominantly carried out by women in fishing communities. NGOs and researchers in Ghana in the 1950s identified a range of adverse health risks in local fish-smoking oven technologies that place fish-smokers at risk. The main approach that has been adopted to combat these risks has been through developing new fish-smoking oven technology, which is being distributed across Ghana by NGOs. This research paper aimed to contribute an alternative understanding of these NGO approaches in Ghana through investigating the level of participation within NGO interventions and by drawing attention to gender dynamics that frame fish-smoker’s agency. Through conducting research at fish-smoking sites in Jamestown, Greater Accra, this paper’s findings demonstrate how fish-smoker’s participation and inclusion in NGO interventions are limited, leaving fish smokers hesitant to adopt NGO distributed oven technologies. Drawing from key theory around participation and Gender and Development, this paper stresses the dynamic interplay between participation and gender within NGO fish-smoking oven interventions and the far-reaching implications for women’s collective success in the Ghanaian fish-smoking industry. This study’s conclusions suggest that alternative approaches, which consider the role of gender in the fisheries value chain more closely, could result in more transformative interventions for fish-smokers in Ghana.Show less