Several African countries have developed a sector devoted to the production of fish, shellfish and seaweeds for human consumption that, nowadays, remains —and in many cases— at its ‘initial stage’ due to decades of civil wars and in spite of the ‘natural potential’ that, according to FAO, Africa has for aquaculture.

In this regard, the SOFIA 2008 report —also from FAO— recalls: ‘When aquaculture becomes established in poor regions of developing countries, it is not likely to expand at a pace that is much different from that of the economy as a whole’. According to the report, one of the main obstacles in Africa is the infrastructure that covers the continent and ‘imposes large costs on any products intended for sale outside the vicinity of the fish far’.

In this sense, there are still vast differences between countries when talking about aquatic animals and seaweeds cultured in captivity. The latest data on aquaculture production recorded in the SOFIA report place Africa as the third territory in the world with regard to the highest average annual growth of the aquaculture industry (12.7%) in the last 38 years, behind Latin America and the Caribbean region (22%) and the Near East (20%). In fact, this is a positive figure, but it must be taken into account that the starting point for this industry in Africa ‘is low absolute amounts of aquaculture production’ —increases that are small in absolute terms become large in relative terms— and that the inflow of foreign capital and expertise has also played an important role on this matter.

The main investments were produced in Uganda, were the aquaculture industry grew by 141.8% between 2004 and 2006; followed by Mozambique, with a 62.2% growth, Malawi (43%), Togo (40.7%) and Nigeria (38.7%), all of them included in the list of the top ten producers in terms of aquaculture growth during this period.

On the other hand, almost all the African production remains in the continent. More than 90% of the 828,260 tons of aquaculture products produced in 2007 remained in the African territory, except small amounts of prawns from Mozambique and Madagascar, some batches of bass and gilthead seabream from Tunisia and a small production of catfish from Uganda, among others, which were mainly exported to Europe and the United States of America.   

In spite of everything, Africa is the fourth producer in the world with regard to aquaculture, before North America and Oceania, to a large extent thanks to Egypt, which produces approximately 76% of the total production in the continent. According to data provided by FAO, in 2007 the North African country generated more than 635,000 tons of fish and other aquatic products, among which the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) highlights with 265,862 tons produced.

TILAPIA, A THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD TRADITION 

Tilapia aquaculture is one of the oldest activities in the continent and in the world. In the year 2500 BC Egyptians already illustrated the friezes of their tombs with the collection of this species in ponds. Nevertheless, except in countries like Mozambique, Madagascar or Malawi, where the traditional aquaculture of tilapia was preserved, the appearance of this species in ponds and aquaculture premises was considered, not so long ago, an unwanted accident. By the end of the 90’s, intensive production systems in ponds were recovered and Egypt became the main producer of two varieties of tilapia: the abovementioned Nile tilapia and the blue tilapia (Oreochromis aureus), both for local consumption.

Nowadays, the African continent produces around 320,000 tons of tilapia, 83% of which arrive from Egypt. The remaining 17% comes from different areas like Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria or Mozambique, which counts with a native variety of tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, that has already been successfully exported to other places in the world (to Latin America, especially). 

Kenya and Malawi are among the countries that complete the African production of tilapia. In Kenya the species has become the most important one in the country, occupying around 90% of the total production of fish. In the second case, Malawi, Oreochromis shiranus, an endemic variety of tilapia, is the most produced and consumed species in the local market, followed by redbreast tilapia, another native variety characterized by its big size. 

In Africa, it is also usual to find tilapia hybrids (of Oreochromis niloticus and Oreochromis mossambicus in general), which normally grow slowly and have a low production.

GEOGRAFICAL IMBALANCE

The existing imbalance between aquaculture productions in Africa is an unquestionable fact. On the one hand we have Egypt, that produces more than 635,000 tons of aquaculture products and, on the other hand, we have the other countries mixing figures, which in general are low and very different between them.  

Leaving now the production of tilapia, the supremacy of Egypt can be observed just having a look to the data provided by FAO with regard to the aquaculture of other species. In the case of mullets (Mugil spp.), considered as the second big group of species in the African aquaculture, Egypt produced almost 100% of the more than 252,000 tons produced in Africa in 2007, except for a small amount of 380 tons produced in Tunisia.

Something similar happens with carps, the third group of species in terms of importance, behind tilapia and mullet. In this case, Egypt distances again, producing around 109,000 tons of the 114,000 total tons in the continent. It is only in some countries that this species generates minimally significant amounts to be taken into account, but still much lower than in Egypt: in 2007, the production of Madagascar carp bordered 2,300 tons, while in Morocco it hardly reached 820 tons.    

However, there are other productions in which Egypt does not monopolize the highest figures, such as the case of catfish. This is the fourth important species in Africa. The main aquaculture countries are Nigeria and Uganda which, in 2007, registered 53,870 tons and 34,096 tons respectively. North African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) has already overtaken tilapia in these countries and an important regional market interested in these species due to their fast growth and simple feeding is starting to appear. In Nigeria, this variety involves 44% of the total production of the country, before other varieties of catfish of the family Clarius spp. which involve 66.7% of the total production, becoming the most important one in the country.

MADAGASCAR AND MOZAMBIQUE SHRIMP

Although it is still at its initial stage, the aquaculture of shrimps is one of the aquaculture activities more and more strongly developed in African coastal communities. This is the case of Madagascar and Mozambique, where around 8,500 and 700 tons per year are produced respectively.

These are relatively small amounts in comparison with other worldwide big producers of shrimp, like Ecuador —which had a production of 150,000 tons in 2007, according to data provided by FAO—, but the potential offered by both territories for the development of this activity in the medium term is ‘huge’, as stated by FAO sources: ‘The environment is favourable for investment, climate conditions are ideal, the population’s pressure is low […] and there are many native species’.

The main variety of shrimp in Africa is, nowadays, Penaeus monodon or black tiger shrimp, the production of which is completely exported to Europe and the United States. The same happens with other species, less produced but not less important, like Indian white prawn (Penaeus indicus), Kuruma prawn (Penaeus japonicus) or speckled shrimp (Metapenaeus monoceros).

OTHER MINOR PRODUCTIONS

When talking about aquaculture in Africa, we cannot forget a series of small productions that, although they are not significant in the continent, are important in some countries. For example, molluscs, especially oyster and mussel, are an important part of the aquaculture activity in South Africa and Tunisia. In the first case, Mytilus galloprovincialis is outstanding, with 470 tons produced per year according to data provided by FAO; while in the second case, bed-culture and longline of Mytilus galloprovincialis is also frequent —with approximately 480 tons per year— , as well as of Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) —the quantity is not specified, but its importance is underlined. Both species are only sold in the local market.

On the other hand, seaweeds like Eucheuma striatum or Eucheuma spinosum are usually cultured in Tanzania, Madagascar and Mozambique. This type of aquaculture is relatively recent and provides jobs mainly for women and children in the coastal areas of these countries. In 2007, the three countries reached around 500 tons of dry seaweeds, that were exported to Europe (France, Spain and Italy), the United States of America and Japan.

SELF-CONSUMPTION AND LOCAL MARKET

Given the characteristics of African aquaculture, most of the production in this sector is in general devoted to self-consumption, except for a small part assigned to local trade or, at the most, to regional trade. ‘Producers sell their fish in the pond where they farm it, or in small stalls located at both sides of the road […]. At most, aquaculture products are dried in the sun, then they are salted or smoked and transported in big groups to bigger markets normally located in urban areas or border points’, explains FAO.

Nevertheless, in some countries like Egypt, Kenya or Tunisia, modern industries are starting to be built. These go out from traditional family businesses and produce fish and other aquatic species for the market. In view of these small steps forward, FAO predicts a fast development of the African aquaculture for the future and highlights its important role played ‘for the supply of food and protein at good price, the improvement of the population’s diet, the generation of jobs, money exchange, the generation of resources and the promotion of regional development’.