During a two-day experiential safety training organized by Friends of the Nation and ProSea Marine Education under the Marine SafeNet Ghana Project, funded by the International Fund for Fishing Safety, fishers and fish processors in Dixcove were taken through powerful reflections on safety, risk, and the value of human life at sea.
Through practical demonstrations and open discussions, participants explored how preventable accidents continue to claim lives in fishing communities, often without receiving the same public attention or urgency given to tragedies elsewhere. The training emphasized that safety is a shared responsibility and that every missing link; whether a forgotten life jacket, a faulty compass, poor weather preparation, or lack of emergency response skills, can lead to disaster.
For Diana, the sessions sparked a personal transformation.
“When they compared how the world reacts when a jet crashes to when a fisherman dies at sea, it hit me deeply. It made me realize that my life matters too.”
– Diana Esi Tetteh Gyabah, Fish Processor, Dixcove
For Diana Esi Tetteh Gyabah, the message was simple, but life-changing.
She left the training with a renewed commitment to safety, determined to encourage fellow fishers and processors to never treat protective equipment as optional. She now advocates for thorough safety checks before every fishing trip and believes that no canoe should leave shore without the necessary safety gear onboard.
Her story reflects a growing awareness within coastal communities that fisher lives matter, and that building a culture of safety can save families, livelihoods, and entire communities from avoidable loss.
