Gendered perception and factors influencing the choice of innovation in the fisheries sector: A case of southern Ghana

Abstract

This study seeks to examine the perception of fish workers about fisheries innovation and factors influencing the choice of innovation in Ghana's Greater Accra and Central regions. The study uses weighted mean index and multinomial logit model to analyze the data on 230 fish workforces. The results reveal that fish workforces perceive the likelihood of men innovating to be more relative to women due to the difference in the nature of fish activity undertaken by men and women. Factors such as age, gender, education, marital status, saving, credit access, perceived usefulness, association membership and location significantly affect the choice of innovation techniques. Specifically, female fish workers were found to be less likely to use entrepreneurial innovation but more likely to choose demand/supply driven innovation techniques. The paper recommends that the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and its Development partners organize training sessions on gender dimensions to reiterate the importance of adopting fisheries innovation for enhanced productivity. Also, fish workers especially women should be encouraged to join groups and develop a culture of savings to position them for innovation adoption. With growing interest in innovative initiatives within the fisheries sector that facilitate fishing activities, this study is one of the first to explore innovation adoption from a gendered perspective in Ghana.