African Aquaculture Conference

African Aquaculture Conference
Name	African Aquaculture Conference
Status	Active
Genre	Scientific conference
Frequency	Biennial
Location	Varies across Africa
Established	1990s
Organizer	Pan-African aquaculture bodies and regional institutions

African Aquaculture Conference The African Aquaculture Conference is a recurring scientific meeting that brings together researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and industry representatives from across Africa and beyond. It serves as a focal point for discussing advances in aquaculture science, technology transfer, capacity building, and transnational partnerships involving stakeholders from national ministries, continental bodies, and international agencies. The conference connects actors from research institutions, development banks, universities, and private firms to address species production, feed innovation, and value chain development.

Overview

The conference convenes experts associated with institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization, African Union, World Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and regional bodies including Economic Community of West African States and Southern African Development Community. Delegates often represent universities like University of Cape Town, Makerere University, Cairo University, University of Ghana, University of Nairobi, and University of Dar es Salaam, plus research centres such as the WorldFish Center, CIFOR-ICRAF, ICARDA, ILRI, and national institutes like SAFGRAD and CSIR. Industry participation includes companies and associations tied to aquafeed, hatcheries, and processing, interacting with donors including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, African Development Bank, and European Union delegations.

History and development

Origins trace to meetings held by networks formed during collaborations between FAO missions, WorldFish Center projects, and continental initiatives led by the African Union Commission and the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Early editions involved partnerships with International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, Network of Aquaculture Centers in Asia-Pacific, and bilateral programs by Japan International Cooperation Agency, USAID, DFID, and GIZ. Over time the conference evolved through contributions from national research systems including CSIR Ghana, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute, Mozambique Institute of Fisheries Research, and regional universities such as Stellenbosch University and Rhodes University. Key shifts reflected global dialogues involving Convention on Biological Diversity, World Trade Organization, Codex Alimentarius Commission, and climate forums like United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Conference organization and format

Organizers typically form steering committees with representatives from African Union Development Agency, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa, African Fisheries Society, Aquaculture Association of Southern Africa, and national ministries such as Ministry of Agriculture (Ghana), Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (Namibia), and Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries (Tanzania). Formats include plenary sessions with speakers from Oxford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Wageningen University, and University of California, Davis, thematic panels featuring experts from Norwegian University of Life Sciences, James Cook University, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, and parallel workshops led by FAO specialists, World Bank economists, and IFAD project managers. Poster sessions, technical demonstrations by companies such as Skretting, Cargill, and Nutreco, and field visits to hatcheries linked to Aqua-Spark investments are common.

Themes and scientific topics

Sessions cover species such as Nile tilapia, African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, Oreochromis niloticus, Lates niloticus, and candidate species like Macrobrachium rosenbergii, Penaeus monodon, and Tilapia zillii. Scientific topics include broodstock genetics led by teams from CABI and Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement, nutrition research informed by University of Stirling aquaculture groups and feed trials by Skretting Research Centre, pathogen diagnostics referencing OIE standards and work from Pasteur Institute labs, and integrated systems such as rice-fish systems and recirculating aquaculture systems developed by AquaBioTech Group and AquaNor partners. Cross-cutting themes examine climate resilience via studies engaging IPCC authors, value chain analysis in collaboration with UNCTAD specialists, certification dialogues involving Marine Stewardship Council and Aquaculture Stewardship Council, and financing mechanisms from African Development Bank instruments.

Participants and partnerships

Typical participants include delegates from universities like University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, University of Lagos, University of Zambia, University of Addis Ababa, and University of Khartoum; research institutes such as Fisheries Research Institute (Ghana), NARO, CSIR, and SARNISSA; NGOs including The Nature Conservancy, Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF, and Wetlands International; and private sector actors from companies and associations including Aquaculture Association of Nigeria, Kenya Marine Fisheries Research Institute partners, and aquafeed manufacturers. Multilateral donors and development banks like African Development Bank, World Bank, IFAD, and European Investment Bank form partnerships with technical agencies such as FAO and UNIDO.

Outcomes and impact

Outcomes often include policy briefs circulated to bodies like the African Union, national ministries, and regional economic communities; technical guidelines that inform national aquaculture strategies adopted by ministries in Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana, and Mozambique; research collaborations between institutions such as CIRAD and IRAD; and pilot investments catalysed by financiers including Proparco and IFC. Scientific outputs feature peer-reviewed articles published by co-authors from PLOS ONE, Aquaculture, Journal of Fish Biology, and Reviews in Aquaculture, and capacity-building programs tied to scholarships from DAAD and Commonwealth Scholarship Commission. Conservation and livelihoods impacts have been documented in projects linked to Ramsar Convention sites and community programs managed by CARE International and OXFAM.

Past conferences and notable editions

Notable editions were hosted in capitals and coastal cities such as Accra, Kampala, Nairobi, Durban, Cairo, Dakar, Maputo, Lagos, Dar es Salaam, and Alexandria. Special sessions have highlighted region-specific initiatives involving Lake Victoria Basin Commission, Lake Tanganyika Authority, Volta River Authority studies, and the Nile Basin Initiative. Prominent keynote speakers have included scholars and leaders from FAO, African Union Commission, WorldFish Center, University of Stirling, and representatives from donor agencies such as USAID and DFID. Editions co-located with exhibitions showcased technologies from firms like AquaMaof, Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems, and AKVA Group and included field demonstrations at demonstration farms linked to SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and Heifer International projects.

Category:Aquaculture conferences