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Background of the Project

Shama is a Town

With a fishing village, and is the capital of Shama district, a district in the Western Region of Ghana.  The town lies about 20 km east of Sekondi-Takoradi, on the mouth of the Pra River. The town is home to Fort San Sebastian, in whose graveyard philosopher Anton Wilhelm Amo, the first African known to have attended a European university, is interred.  Shama is the English name of the town, originally and locally called Esima.  The Population of Shama is about 23,699 (2013).

The inhabitants of the town are mostly engaged in fishing and its related activities such as fish processing for local markets.

Fishing is mostly done using small, medium and large size canoes (boats) powered by outboard motors fuelled by premix fuel.

Fishing, fish processing and fish retailing are the primary source of income for the people of Shama. The reliance of income from Fishing and its related activities is very high that when the Fishermen are unable to go to fishing, the result is economic distress.  One of the major factors affecting the fishermen is lack of premix fuel for their outboard motors, with the result that a number of fishermen are forced to stay ashore for most part of the month. Most of the fishermen have no other income generating skills apart from fishing.  One other challenge is, the fishermen are not used to saving money, because they have not adopted any savings and banking culture.