The Kilifi government has struck a deal with an NGO to boost fish farming.
The three-year Farm Africa deal will inject funds into the Youth in Sustainable Aquaculture programme.
Launched in 2023, the initiative seeks to improve the quality and productivity of aquaculture value chains across six counties, including Kilifi, Kakamega, Busia, Kisumu, Homa Bay and Siaya.
It is expected to tap into the massive Kilifi coastline to boost production in the aquaculture value chain.
Mary Nyale, the Farm Africa country director, said they hope to create more opportunities in the aquaculture value chain.
“We want to nurture the aquaculture sector in Kilifi to produce more fish and create more job opportunities,” Nyale said.
She spoke at the Kilifi governor’s office on Monday.
Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro said Farm Africa will provide USD3 million (about Sh387 million) to young fish farmers in grants, and another USD5 million (about Sh645 million) in revolving funds.
This will boost fish production and encourage more youth to get into fish farming.
“It is through such programmes that a group of women produced half a tonne of fish in three or four months,” Mung’aro said.
He said Kilifi County has the longest coastline bordering the Indian Ocean, meaning there is greater potential than has been tapped in the fishing sector.
The county has put in efforts to enhance the skills and boost businesses.
“One of our visions is to enhance food security through fishing, and such programmes will not only boost food security but also create employment for our young people,” the governor said.
Farm Africa has opened an office in the county at Mnarani and the project is expected to begin immediately.
The Yisa programme will be implemented over five years in collaboration with MasterCard Foundation which pumped in USD20 million (approximately Sh2.6 billion). It will create 150,000 jobs for young people in the six counties.
Nyale said Kilifi provides one of the biggest opportunities for job creation owing to its vast coastline, the availability of large tracts of land and the high unemployment rates.
“We work with different stakeholders and partners who use different technologies and provide financial boosts to youth to be able to invest or expand their businesses in the fishing sector,” Nyale said.
The partners include Echo Network Africa Foundation, which focuses on young women.
“They will have a revolving fund which will help the young women boost their aquaculture businesses,” she noted.
He said Lattice Aqua will issue grants and use different technologies to boost aquaculture businesses.
“We will look at things like black soldier flies and see how they can boost fish foods in Kilifi county,” Nyale said.
Black soldier fly larvae can rapidly degrade organic biowaste produced in markets, food industries and restaurants.
The mature larvae are also a valuable source of protein, prized by fish, poultry and pig farmers.
He said Aquarech Limited, a group of traders, will also help fish farmers produce fish and directly link them to markets.
Livingwood Consultants will train fresh graduates and people who want to pursue aquaculture.
“We are looking at this as a sustainability plan because we believe if we leave knowledge within the county, it will spin off to other young people even beyond the project,” Nyale said.
Farm Africa also works with Hydro Victoria, which works on the black soldier flies, and Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology, which established the aquaculture and mariculture curricula, in the project.
“This is because we want such courses to be available in our TVETs so that young people can get this knowledge to enhance the aquaculture sector,” she noted.
Fisher folks across the country have storage challenges.
Nyale said they have no plans to build cold storages for fisher folk but will assist any enterprise that gets into the post-harvest.
“Many programmes have attempted to build the cold storage facilities, but there is no ownership. What we want is ownership. So if someone or some Beach Management Unit aspire to have a cold storage unit, we can support them through the grants or the revolving funds,” she said.
This is to ensure ownership of the facility for progression and avoid situations of white elephant projects.
