Ghana launches Blue Food Innovation Hub to upgrade fisheries and aquaculture

GHANA – Ghana’s Chamber of Aquaculture has introduced a new innovation centre aimed at improving productivity and sustainability in the country’s fisheries and aquaculture industries as it works to close a widening gap between domestic fish supply and demand.

The Blue Food Innovation Hub, unveiled on February 25 in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, is meant to be a place for sharing technology, building skills, and coordinating among businesses and researchers across the fisheries value chain.

According to a statement issued on February 24, the centre will connect startups, scientists, investors and technical partners to develop responses to high input costs, climate-related risks and limited access to markets that continue to constrain growth in inland aquaculture and marine fishing.

Jacob Adzikah, chief executive of the Chamber of Aquaculture, told local outlet My Joy Online that the hub will address persistent financing gaps, low technology uptake and limited technical expertise among producers, while also supporting small enterprises seeking to expand operations.

Vision 2036

The chamber plans to mobilise about US$10 million over the next decade through the hub’s programs, with funds directed toward enterprise support, the adoption of sustainable production methods, and the development of local processing capacity to improve competitiveness in regional and overseas markets.

As part of its rollout, the hub will launch an acceleration scheme to prepare selected startups and small and medium-sized enterprises for external investment and commercial expansion, according to the chamber’s official communication.

The launch aligns with broader policy measures announced by the government in recent months, including plans disclosed in October 2025 by Vice President Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang to establish a development fund focused on expanding credit access, upgrading infrastructure and advancing aquaculture research.

Earlier in December 2025, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture confirmed that it had initiated talks with researchers from the University of British Columbia in Canada to cooperate on improving oversight and environmental management within the fisheries sector.

Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization show that total fish landings from inland and marine waters declined by 22.6% between 1999 and 2023, falling from 496770 tonnes to 384370 tonnes, while aquaculture output increased from 52360 tonnes in 2019 to 100000 tonnes in 2023.

In 2023, overall fish production reached 484412 tonnes, of which 44% was exported. Yet, apparent consumption stood at approximately 798128 tonnes, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture estimates that the country currently faces an annual fresh fish supply shortfall of nearly 700000 tonnes.

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