Opportunities in Fish Farming: A Deep Dive on Digital Aquaculture in Africa

The African aquaculture industry provides from 22 to 60% of daily protein for millions of people and supports local GDP and national food autonomy in several countries.

Improving fish production is a challenge and we believe this challenge represents a significant opportunity for startups and investors to make the sector more sustainable and equitable with the application of digital technologies.

Aquarech, based in Kenya, is revolutionizing Africa’s aquaculture industry. Despite challenges like depleted fish stocks and inefficient practices, Aquarech tackles these issues by uniting all players in the fish farming process, offering support from feeding to sales.

Through our investment in Aquarech, we are excited to be participating in the quickly evolving African aquaculture sector. As we look at the future of climate resilient food systems, we believe aquaculture is a major piece of the puzzle.

In this article we take a deep dive into the African aquaculture industry today, investigating major challenges and risks and how they may be mitigated by startups and digital technology. We also explore the current players in the market and new opportunities for future development in digital aquaculture in Africa that will position the continent as a global food producer.

Written by Toffene Kama, Principal Investor, Mercy Corps Ventures.