Aquaculture to address youth employment issues in Africa

Editor/Mohamed Shihab

"This experience inspired me to establish my own farm, and I discovered that fish farming is not just viable but also a profitable business venture."

Two United Nations agencies have been partnering together since 2019 to promote aquaculture in Africa as an effective way to reduce unemployment and underemployment among the continent’s youth.

Approximately 400 million youth in Africa are either unemployed or underemployed, according to Africa Union stats. To address this, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) teamed up to establish the Opportunities for Youth in Africa (OYA) program.

When developing the program, the two agencies quickly identified aquaculture as one of the agribusiness segments that has high potential to address food insecurity and poverty in Africa. The program prioritizes self-employment among young entrepreneurs through the introduction of new technology, producing marketable products, and developing networking opportunities along such value chains as aquaculture.

“The [aquaculture-specific] OYA training provided insights into fish farming, including pond construction techniques, and we were equipped with essential resources like fingerlings and feed,” Zambian aquaculturist Aubrain Lyavuka, who went through the OYA program, said in an FAO release. “This experience inspired me to establish my own farm, and I discovered that fish farming is not just viable but also a profitable business venture."

Lyavuka wanted to make a career change from being a farm laborer, so he began searching for new opportunities within his skill set. This led him to an ad for aquaculture training posted by Zambia’s Solwezi Department of Fisheries.

He is now one of 60 young people in Zambia who have benefited from OYA’s in-class training, receiving an opportunity to raise their own fingerlings in fishponds. The training curriculum is focused on pond ecosystem management, fish health and nutrition, breeding techniques, and efficient water usage.

After establishing his own farm, Lyavuka is already eyeing expansion, aiming to grow his operation to 12 ponds to ensure monthly harvests throughout the year.

“I also aim to mechanize the farm and establish a fish hatchery, ensuring the growth and sustainability of my business,” he said.

Lyakuva is not the only young Zambian pursuing aquaculture, with FAO estimating 93 percent of professionals in the nation’s aquaculture sector comprise people between 20 and 39 years old.