A group of business leaders across the African aquaculture industry have established the African Aquaculture Business Leaders Network (AABLN). The group will focus on accelerating the development of sustainable aquaculture in the region to meet food security, health, climate and socio-economic needs.
AABLN, which unites 22 companies from across the continent and supply chain, was modeled after the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI), a platform to advance sustainability practices in the farmed salmon industry. GSI has been awarded a three-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to facilitate the AABLN’s development and help determine an impactful work plan.
“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,” said Caesar Asiyo, Chief Development Officer, Victory Farms and Chair of the AABLN. “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.”
The members have highlighted some initial areas they will be exploring on how collective action can drive positive impact:
- Increasing awareness of the opportunities in the sector, most notably with the investment community
- Supporting wider technology transfer between companies and regions to help increase productivity and overall sustainability
- Increasing training and skills development, with specific focus on women
- Sharing knowledge and building greater awareness of biosecurity challenges
- Exploring opportunities to support the development of small holders
“Over the last decade, GSI members have experienced the benefits of working collaboratively on shared sustainability challenges. From sharing of best practices on fish welfare, aligning on key sustainability KPIs, and trialling new approaches to farming practices, by pooling their teams they have been able to support industry advancements at a much faster rate than working alone,” said GSI CEO, Sophie Ryan.
“Gates Foundation recognizes the success of the GSI model in connecting key players in a shared vision of sustainable aquaculture and believes this approach can be replicated to help advance the African aquaculture sector at an accelerated pace.”
