Jamestown and its harbour (9)

Jamestown and Usshertown form the oldest district of Accra, the capital of Ghana, on the Gulf of Guinea. It grew up around Fort James, built in 1673 by the Royal African Company and used as a prison until 2008. The neighbouring lighthouse, about 28 m high, dates from 1932 and replaced the one of 1871. The new fishing harbour, funded by a Chinese grant of 60 million dollars, was commissioned on 13 September 2024. It includes a 200-capacity fish market, a 60-tonne ice plant and a 200-tonne cold store. According to the Ghana News Agency, the Ghanaian fishing sector supports over 2.6 million jobs. 

Landing and crowd (4)

When a pirogue pulls up at the Jamestown quay, the crowd gathers around the catch. The 2013 survey counted 302 landing beaches along about 550 km of coast, 12,728 canoes and 139,155 fishermen; 73% of the canoes had an outboard motor. Landings of small pelagic fish, sardinella, anchovies and mackerel, fell by 59% between 1993 and 2019, while the fleet grew from about 8,000 to 13,650 canoes between 1990 and 2017, according to an analysis published in The Conversation in 2024. According to an SFMP programme study reported in 2018, Ghana imports more than 600,000 tonnes of fish a year, and fishing supplies about 20% of the protein eaten in the country. 

Light, backlight and reflections (8)

At sunrise as at dusk, the raking light over the Jamestown basin, at 5° 32′ north, silhouettes the pirogues. The neighbouring lighthouse, a cylindrical stone and concrete tower with red and white bands, about 28 m high, dates from 1932 and replaced the one of 1871. It flashes white every 10 seconds from a focal height of 35 m above the sea, with a range of about 10 nautical miles, or 18 km. Originally lit by an oil lamp, it is now electric and automated. The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority operates it, and it guides ships entering the port of Accra. 

Nets and fishermen (22)

On the Jamestown quays, fishermen untangle, mend and load their nets. A study by the SFMP programme, based on 2017 data and reported by the Ghanaian press in 2018, judged small pelagic stocks to be on the verge of collapse: round and flat sardinella, anchovies and mackerel make up more than 80% of them. According to an analysis published in The Conversation in 2024, landings of small pelagic fish fell by 59% between 1993 and 2019, and those of Sardinella aurita dropped from 119,000 tonnes in 1992 to 11,834 tonnes in 2019, despite increased fishing effort. The 2013 survey counted 139,155 marine fishermen in Ghana. 

Pirogues and harbour basin (19)

Wooden pirogues, generally built of wawa wood, make up Ghana's artisanal fleet. The 2013 survey counted 12,728 of them, 73% fitted with an outboard motor (9,313 engines). According to an analysis published in The Conversation in 2024, the fleet grew from about 8,000 canoes in 1990 to 13,650 in 2017, a rise of about 70% in 27 years, while landings of small pelagic fish fell by 59% between 1993 and 2019. Among the causes it puts forward are the growing number of canoes, with their larger nets and more numerous engines, alongside warming waters and industrial trawlers. Many pirogues carry painted inscriptions on their hulls, biblical verses or phrases in local languages. 

Pool (95)

 

The day's catch (15)

In Ghana, small pelagic fish, round and flat sardinella, anchovies and mackerel, make up more than 80% of the stock of these species, according to an SFMP programme study reported by the press in 2018. Their landings fell by 59% between 1993 and 2019, and those of Sardinella aurita dropped from 119,000 tonnes in 1992 to 11,834 tonnes in 2019. According to the study, fishing mortality rose over 25 years and reached levels judged unsustainable in 2016. The same study says that Ghana imports more than 600,000 tonnes of fish a year, that fishing employs about 10% of Ghanaians and that it supplies about 20% of the protein eaten in the country. 

The fish hall (11)

The hall houses the fish market of the Jamestown harbour in Accra, commissioned on 13 September 2024 and funded by a Chinese grant of 60 million dollars. The 200-capacity market stands alongside a 60-tonne ice plant and a 200-tonne cold store. Construction, begun in 2018, suffered significant delays. In March 2026, Ghana's Deputy Minister of Transport said the ice plant and the market were operating, the cold store still had to be brought into service, and the harbour would soon begin full operations. Ghana imports more than 600,000 tonnes of fish a year, according to an SFMP programme study reported in 2018. 

Those who wait (9)

On the harbour terrace, women wait facing the basin. In Ghana's artisanal fishery, men go to sea while women mainly handle processing and sale. Fish processing is a major occupation for more than 30,000 women in 340 coastal communities, and the artisanal sub-sector employs over 60% of the women in the value chain, according to an SFMP programme fact sheet published in 2019. Artisanal fishers remain subject to days without fishing, including Tuesdays. In 2025, the closed season, in July for semi-industrial vessels and from July to August for trawlers, did not apply to canoes. Fishing employs about 10% of Ghanaians, according to an SFMP programme study reported in 2018.