WAS-AC, AUDA-NEPAD advance women-focused aquaculture agenda ahead of AFRAQ2026

AFRICA – The World Aquaculture Society African Chapter, in partnership with African Union Development Agency, has launched a continent-wide initiative to spotlight the role of women in aquaculture, setting the stage for dedicated engagements at the upcoming Aquaculture Africa 2026 Conference scheduled for December 1–4 in Tanzania.

The initiative aligns with the International Year of the Woman Farmer 2026 and is designed to drive targeted interventions across Africa’s aquatic food systems. 

Organisers say the programme will move beyond awareness to focus on practical challenges affecting productivity, investment, and scalability for women-led aquaculture enterprises.

Women currently dominate post-harvest segments of fisheries and aquaculture value chains, particularly in processing and trading, but remain underrepresented in production, financing, and decision-making. 

Industry stakeholders note that this imbalance continues to limit output growth and value chain efficiency across several African markets.

As part of the build-up to AFRAQ2026, WAS-AC and AUDA-NEPAD convened a high-level webinar in March 2026 that brought together nearly 300 participants, including policymakers, researchers, producers, and development partners. 

Discussions focused on structural barriers such as limited access to land, credit, inputs, and technology, which continue to constrain expansion in aquaculture production.

Speakers at the session emphasised that addressing these constraints is not only a social priority but also a commercial one, given the rising demand for fish as a protein source across the continent. 

They highlighted that improving women’s participation in production could unlock significant gains in output, efficiency, and food security.

The programme will continue throughout 2026 with regional engagements, data collection, and targeted outreach to identify and support women aquaculture producers across key markets, including Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, and South Africa.

These activities are expected to feed directly into the AFRAQ2026 agenda, where a dedicated side event will consolidate findings, showcase scalable business models, and outline investment and policy priorities to strengthen women’s roles in aquaculture value chains.

For industry stakeholders, including feed producers, input suppliers, and investors, the initiative signals a growing focus on inclusive growth models that can expand production capacity while improving resilience across aquatic food systems.

Organisers indicate that outcomes from the year-long programme will help shape future strategies for aquaculture development, particularly in areas such as feed access, production efficiency, and value chain integration, which remain critical to meeting Africa’s rising demand for affordable protein.