Burkina Faso boosts fish farming with floating cage systems

BURKINA FASO – Burkina Faso’s Minister of Agriculture, Ismael Sombié, has inaugurated a new aquaculture production site in Dori, in the Liptako region of the country’s northeast, centred on the Yakouta Dam reservoir, where 22 floating cages are already stocked with more than 150,000 fingerlings.

The initiative, launched on February 4, aims to cut fish imports and boost local production. At the inauguration, Minister Sombié stressed the importance of reducing dependence on imports and ensuring affordable, locally produced fish for Burkinabè families.

The initiative is expected to expand to 50 cages in its second phase, with a potential annual output of 200 tons of fish.

A new era for fish production

Floating cage aquaculture, which raises fish in submerged cages anchored in reservoirs, is promoted as a tool for food security and economic resilience.

Burkina Faso imports 80% of its fish, spending 19.3 billion CFA francs (US$32.96 billion) annually between 2020 and 2024, while aquaculture contributes only a fraction.

The government hopes projects like Dori will help tap the country’s aquaculture potential of 110,000 tons per year, of which only 1% is currently used.

The Dori project follows earlier efforts at Samandéni dam, where 180 cages were installed in April 2024, and at Bagré dam, where the “Dumu Ka Fa” project with 44 investors targets 1,500 tons annually.

To support the sector, the government introduced a VAT exemption on fish feed in the 2025 supplementary budget, cutting costs as feed accounts for 80% of aquaculture expenses.

Burkina Faso’s push mirrors regional trends

In 2024, Kenya expanded cage fish farming on Lake Victoria, raising aquaculture output by 5% to 33,423 tonnes, with cage culture contributing 25,547 tonnes (76.4%). Benefits included jobs, food security, and reduced pressure on wild stocks.

Ghana’s cage aquaculture on Lake Volta is among Africa’s largest, with hundreds of farms producing tens of thousands of tonnes annually.

Nigeria’s industry is relatively new but growing rapidly. One project scaled from 6 to 24 cages, with approval to reach 200, alongside a feed mill, hatchery, and processing plant targeting 4,000 tonnes per year.

The challenge is whether Burkina Faso’s enthusiasm for floating cage aquaculture will deliver sustained production and reduce dependence on imports.

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