Essam Yassin Mohammed
By mid-century, Africa’s cities will swell with almost a billion new residents. That single demographic fact will stretch the continent’s food systems to the breaking point, demanding roughly twice today’s supply of affordable, nutritious protein. As global leaders gather at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York next week, to address climate crisis and debate solutions for fixing our food systems amid a downward slide in sustainable development goals, I will join them at the Global Center on Adaptation Leaders Dialogue to highlight Africa’s aquaculture as a vital but underutilized solution. We cannot afford to overlook Africa’s waters as one of its most potent sources of solutions to both climate and development.
Aquaculture’s Rapid Growth and Untapped Potential
In just two decades, African aquaculture has expanded sixfold, from barely 360 thousand tonnes at the turn of the millennium to well over 2.5 million tonnes today. No other food sector on the continent has grown so fast. And yet Africa still produces less than three percent of the world’s farmed fish. The contrast with Asia is striking across that region aquaculture already tops ninety million tonnes and continues to grow. Africa now stands where Asia stood forty years ago, poised to leap forward, but with a decisive advantage: twenty-first-century science and digital technology. This does not mean Africa will remain behind. Quite the opposite.
Capture fisheries remain a vital source of food and livelihoods, but their biological limits are clear. Production has risen only modestly, from about 6.6 million tonnes in 2000 to just under 10 million tonnes today. The future of capture fisheries is not about catching more fish; it is about harvesting more wisely, restoring ecosystems, and drawing more value from every kilogram landed. But with overfishing, coastal degradation, and climate-driven stock shifts tightening those limits, management and restoration, not extraction, must define the future. Aquaculture, by contrast, has no such ceiling. Globally, aquaculture has already overtaken capture fisheries as the main source of aquatic animal products, according to the FAO’s 2024 State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report. With the right investments and governance, African farmed fish can grow another seven-fold by 2050, becoming the primary source of the continent’s seafood.
Opportunities to Leapfrog through Innovation
The opportunity to leapfrog is real and immediate. Africa need not repeat the incremental, resource-intensive growth that defined the first aquaculture boom elsewhere. It can start where others wish they had begun with climate-smart genetics, low-carbon feeds, and AI-enabled water management. Across the continent, entrepreneurs are already piloting solar-powered aeration, sensor-driven ponds, and integrated systems that combine fish with seaweed or mangroves to capture carbon and buffer coastlines. These are not futuristic concepts but proven tools, ready to scale.
Yet technology alone will not deliver the transformation. Inclusive markets must ensure that rising production translates into affordable fish for all. Cold-chain infrastructure, transparent price information, and digital trading platforms can shorten supply chains and reduce losses, while empowering women and youth who are central to Africa’s fish economy. At the same time, conducive policy instruments, from predictable licensing and biosecurity standards to nutrition-sensitive trade and procurement rules, are essential to attract long-term private capital and give farmers and fishers the confidence to expand.
"Africa’s aquaculture has expanded sixfold in two decades yet still produces less than three percent of the world’s farmed fish". Photo: Sam Shng Shng/WorldFish
The 12 billion Dollar Investment Gap
The single biggest brake on progress is the yawning investment gap, estimated at around 12 billion dollars for aquaculture alone. Closing it will not happen through public budgets or aid alone. What is needed are financing models that blend public, private, and philanthropic capital, and that reward measurable outcomes in nutrition, resilience, and livelihoods. With clear policy signals and reduced risk, investors will enter the sector. Catalyzing opportunities not only for Africa but also for global food and climate security.
The stakes go far beyond fish. Expanding aquaculture and restoring fisheries can feed fast-growing cities with healthy protein, create millions of jobs for a youthful workforce, and lock away carbon in living blue infrastructure. It can strengthen food sovereignty and reduce dependence on volatile grain imports. Every well-placed dollar in these blue growth corridors multiplies benefits, nutrition, climate protection, and economic opportunity. For Africa’s vast youth population, it offers livelihoods close to home, while providing urban families with affordable protein essential for child growth and health. It can also strengthen rural economies, reduce migration pressures, and build resilience in regions most vulnerable to climate shocks.
I have spent my career studying the intersection of aquatic ecosystems and human well-being. I have never seen a moment like this one. The science is ready. Digital connectivity is widespread. Urban demand is rising fast. All the ingredients for a transformative blue revolution are on the table. What remains is the collective resolve to act at scale.
I will be taking this urgent message to both the United Nations General Assembly and the 2025 Forbes Sustainability Leaders' Summit. Each year of delay means missed opportunities to nourish millions, protect coastlines, and stabilize the climate. Acting today, with conviction and ambition, Africa can chart a course where its rivers, lakes, and coasts join forces beyond the fields to not just feed but nourish its people, while fuelling its economy sustainably and equitably.