East Africa’s population has nearly doubled during the 21st century. This is unlikely to cease, and the area – incorporating countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania – is projected to house nearly 900m people by 2050.
These countries face a need for increased protein to sustain the growing population. Aquaculture – broadly defined as the cultivation of fish or marine-based plants – stands as one of the most efficient, affordable, and low-carbon ways of meeting this demand. East Africa is also the natural home for the tilapia fish, with some of the best water bodies suitable for fish farming. Recognising its potential for regional food security, inclusive job creation and economic growth, Gatsby Africa began working with the sector in 2017.
At this time, despite a history of extensive donor support, the sector remained nascent. Capture fisheries had been over-fished and depleted, and demand was being met from the import of frozen tilapia fish from China. Despite consumers’ preference for local fish, few businesses were operating profitably.
The goal was to support the sector’s growth and Gatsby Africa identified three interconnected issues holding it back: quality of genetics, the affordability of quality feed, and farm management practices. A $2.5m loan to a start-up called Victory Farms was designed to incentivise further investment from fish- feed companies. Victory Farms is now one of Africa’s fastest growing companies, raising $35 million in series B investment.
The growth of Victory Farms had knock-on impacts, incentivising feed mill investment by driving demand. This growth has now resulted in other fish feed investments coming into the region – increasing healthy market competition.
Fish farming is technical, and from 2019, Gatsby has been supporting different groups of the most promising small and medium farms to adopt a more robust,data-driven approach. There has been a focus on skills-building and the first cohort of graduate trainees are now working with two farms in Uganda to further increase the number of skilled managers in the region.
As growth continues, Gatsby Africa continues to actively support other parts of the sector to sustain this momentum. For example, there is support for the Kenyan government to develop infrastructure that will minimise risks related to the environment, fish health, and community cohesion. Gatsby Africa also collaborates with fish farms to create apprenticeships and other mechanisms that raise skills, as well as partnering with hatcheries to develop breeding plans to improve fish genetics.
Having built the right conditions for growth, East Africa’s aquaculture sector is showing exciting momentum, expanding nearly six-fold since Gatsby Africa began this work. As the population grows, these interventions – designed to be sustainable, resilient, and to benefit local communities – are key.
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