African Aquaculture Business Leaders Network

The Opportunity

Africa’s growing population presents a major opportunity to expand sustainable aquaculture - by strategically developing aquatic resources where appropriate, to meet rising food demand, improve nutrition, and create meaningful livelihoods.

As Africa continues to experience rapid population growth and urbanization, the demand for nutritious, protein-rich, sustainable and affordable food intensifies

The FAO highlights that production of aquatic foods in Africa needs to increase by 74% to meet 2050 demands

Aquaculture offers huge potential in meeting this growing need – it’s healthy, sustainable, and climate-resilient

Plus there are abundant underutilized water resources than can be optimized for sustainable aquaculture to provide employment and support livelihoods

Sustainable development of aquaculture can enhance socio-economic development in many ways

Improved food security and nutrition

Fish and aquatic foods are rich in protein and essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids, iodine, selenium, calcium, iron, and zinc¹, which support healthy diets and prevent malnutrition and many common diseases
With Africa’s population set to double² by 2050, aquaculture must grow at a rate above the current 11% per year³ to meet projected demand and nutritional requirements.

Employment opportunities

With Africa’s population growing rapidly, and 60% of its people under the age of 25, an estimated 11 million young individuals are expected to enter the job market in sub-Saharan Africa each year⁴. Aquaculture presents a valuable opportunity for driving employment especially in rural areas and for young people and women

Sustainable development

Aquaculture has the potential to enhance food security while having a lower impact on the environment¹ than terrestrial animal proteins, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, land and water use, and eutrophication
Aquaculture also plays a key role in alleviating overfishing pressure on wild fish stocks¹
By supporting the development of sustainable aquaculture, there is huge potential in securing economic and nutritional benefits for future generations.

Economic development

Aquaculture and its significant supply chain can contribute to economic development in Africa. Investment of about 11 bn euros would generate an estimated revenue of over 19 bn euros⁵

1. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2024). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024: Blue Transformation in Action.

2. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. As Africa’s Population Crosses 1.5 Billion, The Demographic Window Is Opening; Getting The Dividend Requires More Time And Stronger Effort.

3. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (WorldFish). Accelerating Aquaculture to Combat Africa's Fish Deficit.

4. World Economic Forum. The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa.

5. International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (WorldFish). The EU would be wise to invest in African aquaculture and fisheries.

AABLN Priorities

Aquaculture holds immense promise, but unlocking its benefits will require comprehensive policy reforms, technological advancements, sustainable resource management, and regional and global collaboration.

Within AABLN, we are utilizing a model of collaboration to help accelerate the sustainable development of the sector. Uniting our knowledge, expertise and resources to unlock the sector’s potential. We are working on:

Investment:

Increasing awareness of investment opportunities in the sector, and building investment literacy for member companies

Technology transfer:

Supporting wider technology transfer between companies and regions to help increase productivity and overall sustainability performance

Training and development:

Increasing training and skills development and opportunities to attract more people into the sector, with a specific focus on women

Fish health and welfare:

Sharing expertise to help strengthen the sector’s ability to effectively manage fish welfare and ensure optimal fish health and all times

Smallholder development:

Exploring opportunities to support the development of smallholders as key contributors to the sectors development

Best-practice sharing:

Mobilising the collaborative network to share knowledge, opportunities, challenges, and learnings to support sustainable development at speed and scale

Who We Are

AABLN welcomes any new members who work in African aquaculture and support our mission. Please get in touch if you are interested to learn more.

Our Members

Supported By:

Global Salmon Initiative as acting secretariat with funding from the Gates Foundation

“There is huge unrealized potential in African aquaculture and with greater investment and growth there is the opportunity to not only feed more people in a healthy a sustainable way but give more employment opportunities to local communities and the next generation. Africa is a huge under served market, rich in natural resources and has a young population eager to innovate. If we act now, aquaculture can be part of the region's promising future.”

Caesar Asiyo

Chief Development Officer, Victory Farms, Chair of AABLN

“The GSI model has taught us over the last ten years that when we unite business leaders under a progressive vision, we can identify common barriers, and we can act together to greatly accelerate progress. Gates Foundation saw the potential in the broader application of our model and now we are working together to mobilize the collective insight of local business leaders to help the African sector meet its potential.”

Sophie Ryan

Chief Executive Officer, Global Salmon Initiative (AABLN Secretariat)

“Aquaculture’s potential in Africa is more than a solution for food security, it’s also a catalyst for inclusive economic growth and supporting communities. It can provide a variety of jobs and contribute to livelihoods, particularly for women who are essential to the industry’s value chain. There is huge potential ready to  be unlocked.”

Bella Akinyi

Chief Executive Officer, Bolena Fish Farm