UN says Africa urgently needs more fish farms.

Africa must urgently expand its fish‑farming sector to satisfy its food needs, the head of the United Nations’ fisheries division said on Tuesday, even as a recent report highlighted record global production levels.

According to the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), fish and seafood now represent a $184‑billion trade, a figure unveiled at the Our Ocean Conference in Kenya.

Aquaculture, or fish farming, surpassed traditional capture fishing as the primary source of food production in 2021 and has continued to grow, reaching more than 100 million tonnes for the first time in 2024, the latest data indicate.

However, Africa lags behind the rest of the world, with only 18 percent of its fish coming from farms compared to roughly half elsewhere.

The FAO estimates that Sub‑Saharan Africa’s fish production will need to increase by 68 percent between now and 2050 to keep pace with its rapidly expanding population.

“It’s an opportunity waiting to be exploited… but the timing must be fast enough to meet that demand,” said Manuel Barange, director of the FAO’s fisheries division, to AFP.

“Aquaculture can actually be a game‑changer,” he added. “If we develop aquaculture in Africa, there are many opportunities.”

Barange stressed that governments must urgently establish regulations and incentives to attract investors.

Worldwide, more than 700 species of fish are raised for consumption on aquaculture farms, and the FAO argues that this approach is more predictable and sustainable than traditional sea fishing.

It also offers greater resilience in the face of climate change, which is rapidly altering ocean fish volumes and locations.

“Climate change is a disruptor of everything that we do,” Barange said.

Further action is needed to curb over‑fishing: the report found that only 62 percent of global fisheries are sustainably fished.

The 11th edition of the Our Ocean Conference opened in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa on Tuesday, marking its first time on the African continent. The event brought together politicians, NGOs, investors and innovators.

Since its inaugural edition in 2014, organisers claim the conference has generated more than 2,900 commitments valued at over $169 billion, covering marine conservation, sustainable fisheries, climate adaptation, security and pollution reduction.

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