By Busani Bafana
Aquaculture and fisheries have the potential to drive economic development in Africa while supporting food and income security for many people on the continent who depend on them, according to a new report.
The report by 17 leading experts in agriculture, engineering, ecology, nutrition, and food security under the Malabo Montpellier Panel shows there is rising demand for fish due to population growth, urbanisation, and increasing income on the continent. Besides, the sector has vast opportunities for job creation across the fisheries and aquaculture value chains with a potential to improve food security, nutrition and economic development. The sector provides almost 20 percent of Africa’s animal protein.
“Fish and other aquatic foods play an increasingly important role in African diets and economic development, “ said Prof. Joachim von Braun, Co-Chair of the Malabo Montpellier Panel, during the launch of the report titled, Fish-friendly: Policy Innovations for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa. “To benefit more from this growing sector, governments and the private sector need to facilitate innovation and address limiting factors like feed supplies in aquaculture and illegal coastal fishing.” The report recommends the implementation of effective policies to enhance the sustainability of the continent’s fisheries and aquaculture sector. Africa has the highest aquaculture growth rate globally, with a fivefold increase and capture fisheries expanding by 52 percent since 2022. It contributed 6.0 percent to global capture fisheries and aquaculture production in 2022, up from 5.4 percent in 2000.
Besides, Africa has 13 million km² of ocean territory and over 1.5 million km² in Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), which could boost fish production and trade. To counter a projected fish deficit of 11 million MT annually by 2030, policies and investments are needed to meet future demand and avoid potential shortages, authors of the report argue. Africa’s supplies of aquatic foods needs to increase by 74 percent by 2050 to maintain current per capita fish consumption levels. However, despite the prospects, Africa’s aquaculture sector faces a number of challenges.
Unsustainable practices, overfishing, and Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing have combined to aggravate annual fish losses estimated at USD 11.2 billion. Besides, habitat degradation,
pollution, and climate change impacts have also worsened the performance of the sector.
Fish farmers are also grappling with limited access to inputs, technologies, finance, and markets, while postharvest losses and inadequate infrastructure add to the toll. Limited data and weak governance frameworks in monitoring the fisheries sector have also been flagged by the report as a key challenge. In addition, Africa needs to strengthen support for aquaculture by providing financial products tailored to smallholder fish farmers, developing national and regional policies to improve market linkages and access to inputs as well as offering training and skills development programmes for smallholders. With approximately 6.1 million Africans employed in the sector, the importance of ensuring long-term sustainability has never been more evident, the report notes. The recently adopted African Union CAADP Strategy and Action Plan (2026-2035) and the Africa Blue Economy Strategy underscore the vital role of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in transforming Africa’s agrifood systems, ensuring food security and improving nutrition.
Dr Ousmane Badiane, the executive chairperson of AKADEMIYA2063 and co-chair of the Malabo Montpellier Panel, said the timing of this report was particularly opportune as Africa aligns its ambitions with these frameworks to redefine its role in global aquatic food systems. Dr Badiane said that successful aquaculture interventions highlighted in the report, provide workable avenues to accelerating progress toward a productive and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture sector on the continent.
He said these policy interventions are paying off in countries like Ghana, where the government has invested heavily in infrastructure, aquaculture production facilities, and supply chain of millions of fingerlings. “By encouraging governments, fishing communities, and the private sector to adopt fish-friendly policies and practices, the Malabo Montpellier Panel has demonstrated viable pathways to ensure that Africa’s aquatic resources are managed responsibly and sustainably,” said Dr Badiane.
Countries in a big catch
The report reviews the policy and programmatic interventions of Ghana, Malawi, Morocco, and Mozambique – countries that have shown considerable success and progress in growing their fisheries and aquaculture sector.
Ghana’s Aquaculture for Food and Jobs (AFJ) programme was launched to boost fish production and create employment for youth.
Through AFJ, the government plans to train 10,000 youth in small-scale fish farming, creating around 50,000 additional jobs along fisheries and aquaculture value chains. In Malawi, the Aquaculture Value Chain Project (AVCP) established the Aquaculture Business School, providing training in organisational, processing, and technical skills to 4,500 smallscale producers and 144 fish farmer groups nationwide. Similarly, the Inclusive Business and Entrepreneurial Models (IBEMs) for small-scale fish farmers project provided innovative training on aquaculture practices, business management, finance, and entrepreneurship to 1,046 farmers, 60 percent of whom were women. The project set up local entrepreneurs, with a focus on seed or fingerling production and fish feed.
Morocco has demonstrated a strong commitment to advancing its fisheries and aquaculture sector over the years through various institutional, policy, and programmatic innovation. Morocco’s Halieutis Strategy, a comprehensive fisheries and aquaculture plan launched in 2009, has positioned the country as a top fish exporter to the European Union (EU). The Small-Scale Fisheries Project constructed and equipped landing sites and port facilities and was involved in the establishment of three marine protected areas, each extending over 40 km of coastline. It established five wholesale fish markets, provided certificate training, and equipped nearly 1,000 mobile fish vendors and 20,000 artisan fishers.
These efforts, along with promoting research, improving fish management plans, and fighting IUU fishing, have contributed to annual per capita consumption of fish and fishery products by more than 10 percent. The fisheries and aquaculture sector is vital to Mozambique’s economic development, significantly contributing to food security, job creation, and livelihoods, particularly for coastal communities. The government has embarked on comprehensive reforms, focusing on policy innovations and institutional restructuring to promote sustainable fishing practices, expand aquaculture, and enhance the resilience of coastal communities.
Mozambique’s MaisPeixe Sustentável (More Sustainable Fish) programme provides matching grants to artisanal fishers and small enterprises to improve their fishing techniques, reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, and boost food security. The programme has significantly impacted livelihoods in seven provinces by providing financing to over 1,000 artisanal fishing households.