Increasing the Productivity of Ghanian Aquaculture

project summary

Aquaculture continues to be an important sector in the Ghanaian economic development agenda. Increased aquaculture production is the government’s strategy to bridge the 500,000 tonne fish deficit currently met through imports (over US$ 200 million annually). Recent production estimates show that only half of the 2018 production target was achieved (MFAD, 2017) and growth in the industry has largely come from the culture of tilapia on the Volta Lake. Aquaculture productivity in semi-intensive ponds remains low at 2.0t/ha annually compared to 5.0t/ha in similar systems in Asia. In spite of the growth seen over the last decade, development of the sector is hampered by three main factors: 1. High feed costs due to reliance on imported fishmeal and fish oil in aquaculture feed; 2. Poor water quality and low quality of fingerlings; 3. Lack of aquaculture species diversification (tilapia production accounts for >80%).