Most fishmongers in Ghana’s coastal landscape lack access to social protection services. They are not insured on any health service, some do not have access to credit services, and others have no buffer for periods of low economic activities. While there are a number of social protection schemes in Ghana, limited knowledge on these services by the fishmongers has been a major setback. This situation was discovered through a baseline survey conducted by CERATH Development Organization (CDO) on the Power to the Fishers Project.

CDO is committed to promoting the adoption of at least one social protection service among its target fishmongers in Ghana’s coastal landscape. CDO is working with the district offices of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to bring insurance information at the doorsteps of fishmongers. CDO has been organizing a series of community meetings with NHIS officers in attendance. These meetings provide the opportunity for NHIS officers to explain the scheme, offer guidance on registration and renewals, and provide insight on the scheme’s extent of coverage. The beneficiary communities (so far) have commended this initiative by CDO, and have urged CDO to extend this activity to other communities.