Transitions to Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa

This briefing by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective examines the challenges and opportunities within Africa's fisheries and aquaculture sectors, focusing on Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. It highlights the 'triple burden of malnutrition' and the sector's low global production contribution (6%), which leads to a US$6 billion annual import reliance. The document advocates for agroecological, climate-resilient, and nutrition-sensitive approaches, emphasizing the role of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in reducing import dependency and fostering regional trade. It identifies critical bottlenecks such as post-harvest losses (up to 30%), gender disparities, and environmental degradation, while proposing technological solutions like solar-powered cold chains and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).

• Africa's fisheries and aquaculture sector contributes only 6% of global fish production, resulting in an annual import reliance of US$6 billion, which negatively impacts trade deficits and local fisheries.
• Post-harvest losses are a significant barrier, with spoilage rates reaching as high as 30%. In Uganda, these losses are estimated to cost approximately US$21.76 million.
• The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is positioned as a transformative tool to reduce import dependency and boost regional trade. Its 'Women and Youth Economic Empowerment in Fisheries' initiative aims to create 250,000 jobs by 2030 and attract US$100 million in annual value chain investments.
• In Nigeria, the fisheries sector faces severe governance and environmental issues, including oil pollution in the Niger Delta and illegal fishing, the latter of which costs the country US$70 million every year.
• Aquaculture growth varies by country: Uganda aims to reach 1.7 million tonnes of production by 2030 (with 1 million tonnes from farming), while Kenya needs farmed production to reach 150,000 tonnes by 2030 to maintain its current low per capita consumption.
• Gender and social inequities persist in the sector; for example, in Uganda, women make up less than 20% of the fisheries labour force, and women fishers in other areas are often restricted to nearshore waters.
• Technological innovations are being deployed to increase resilience and productivity, including biofloc systems and HDPE cages in Kenya, and Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) in Nigeria, where Platinum Fisheries increased production from 5 to 390 tonnes.

APA

Cheserek, M., Walakira, J., Obiero, K., & Oyebanji, I. (2025). Transitions to Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa. African Climate Foundation. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/801023_R-Aquaculture-WEB-1.pdf

Chicago

Cheserek, Maureen, John Walakira, Kevin Obiero, and Inemesit Oyebanji. Transitions to Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa. African Climate Foundation, 2025. https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/801023_R-Aquaculture-WEB-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Cheserek |first1=Maureen |last2=Walakira |first2=John |last3=Obiero |first3=Kevin |last4=Oyebanji |first4=Inemesit |title=Transitions to Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa |publisher=African Climate Foundation |date=2025 |url=https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/801023_R-Aquaculture-WEB-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cheserek2025transitions, author = {Cheserek, Maureen and Walakira, John and Obiero, Kevin and Oyebanji, Inemesit}, title = {{Transitions to Sustainable, Resilient and Equitable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa}}, institution = {African Climate Foundation}, year = {2025}, url = {https://africanclimatefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/801023_R-Aquaculture-WEB-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }