Africa’s food future also rests on its waters

Across Africa, demand for aquatic foods is increasing as population grows. Yet, supply is struggling to keep the pace. This matters because aquatic foods are not a niche product in Africa. They are an important source of food, livelihoods and trade.

According to the latest edition of the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture, released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Mombasa, Kenya, aquatic animal foods provide 19 per cent of animal protein available across the continent, which is the second highest share globally compared to other regions.

In some countries and communities, particularly along coasts, rivers and lakes, that contribution is even higher. Yet, Africa has the lowest per capita availability of aquatic animal foods in the world, 9.2kg per person and year, half of the global average.

This highlights a challenge: aquatic foods are key to food security and nutrition in Africa, but availability is struggling to keep pace with demand. For too long, discussions about Africa’s food security primarily focused on land-based agriculture. Crops and livestock are and will remain important, but Africa’s blue economy, including oceans, lakes and rivers are increasingly important and deserves greater strategic attention.

Africa’s aquatic food production

Sustainable wild capture fisheries are indispensable for a sustainable blue economy. They account for 54 per cent of global aquatic animal production, while inland fisheries feed and nourish millions. Across the Great Lakes region, the Niger basin, the Congo River basin, and countless freshwater systems, inland fisheries provide affordable nutrition where alternatives are often limited and support millions of jobs across the value chain in rural communities where alternatives are limited. But capture fisheries alone cannot nourish Africa’s future food needs. However, wild fish stocks have biological limits.

At the same time, Africa’s population continues to grow faster than any other region in the world. According to the FAO, Africa’s aquatic food production must grow by seven per cent by 2050 in order to ensure current per capita availability of aquatic foods. Unless action is taken supply growth will not keep up with production increases, reducing per capita availability and thus adding pressure to other food systems.

Even today, Africa relies on imported aquatic animal products to support domestic availability. The continent is a net importer of aquatic products by volume (measured in product weight). As the population grows and fish prices remain under pressure, the question of affordable protein is becoming urgent. This is where aquaculture can offer a solution.