Mavis Hawa Koomson is the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD) and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Awutu Senya East Constituency. She has won the parliamentary seat for her constituency in every election since 2012.
She was born on 3rd February 1966 in Sekondi in the Western Region, but she hails from Salaga in the Savannah Region. She had her Teacher Training Education at the Bimbila Training College from 1987 to 1991 and then proceeded to the University of Education, Winneba, where she obtained a Diploma in Basic Education in 2006 and a Degree in Basic Education in 2011.
Hon. Mavis Hawa Koomson holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Administration (DPA) from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in 2015, and a Masters Degree in Public Administration with specialization in International Relations and Diplomacy from GIMPA in 2017. Hon. Koomson worked as a professional teacher for over 21 years (1991 to 2012) and rose from the rank of Assistant Superintendent through to Principal Superintendent in 2011. She became a Head Teacher from 2004 to 2012.
During the period of her teaching career, she occupied various positions, including president of Ghana National Association of Teachers Ladies Society (GNATLAS) (Sekondi local) from 2005 to 2006, treasurer for GNATLAS (Western Region) from 2003 to 2005, and Secretary for GNATLAS (Takoradi local) from 2002 to 2004.
Hon Mavis Hawa Koomson was appointed the Minister for Special Development Initiatives in the year 2017, following the assumption of power of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, a position she diligently served until January 2021.
As a member of cabinet, she led the actualization of the vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic, spearheading the implementation of the novel Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP). This programme seeks to eradicate poverty through the provision of basic infrastructure at the constituency level, mostly in rural and deprived communities.
The IPEP programme is a pro poor initiative which involves the annual allocation of US$1,000,000 to each of the 275 constituencies in the country. Key achievements of the Hawa Koomson-led IPEP include the initiation of over eight Thousand (8000) varied projects across the country, such as clinics, markets, warehouses, water systems, water closets, culverts, police stations, school blocks, small earth dams, and road reshaping projects, among others.
Her Ministry also led the procurement and distribution of 307 ambulances to improve on the emergency healthcare system in the country. Additionally, 10,000 hospital beds were also procured to reduce the “no bed syndrome” in the country.
Hon. Hawa Koomson has proven her worth locally and internationally over the years through the various seminars and workshops she has attended and contributed to, and through her involvement in professional organizations with regards to Education and public service.
She currently serves on various Parliamentary Select Committees, including the Select Committee for Lands and Natural Resources, Business Committee, and Committee for African Parliamentary Union.
She was appointed as the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development in March 2021. It is her vision to enhance the contribution of the fisheries sector to national development by improving the sustainable management of fisheries resources and transforming aquaculture development. This is to be achieved through evidence-based–informed policy initiatives aimed at reducing overfishing and over-exploitation of fisheries resources as well as combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.
It is her goal to enhance co-management of the fisheries resources as well as develop the fisheries value chain to ensure profitability as well as improve livelihoods. The development of aquaculture will be accelerated by the provision of a conducive environment and incentives for the private sector to invest and increase returns on investment and thereby increase job and wealth creation as well as improve national food and nutrition security.
She is married with three (3) children.