Senegal to invest US$64.9M in aquaculture expansion

SENEGAL – Senegal has unveiled a plan to transform its aquaculture sector, with a planned investment of 36.51 billion CFA francs (about US$64.9 million) between 2026 and 2030, aiming to scale up fish production as coastal fish stocks decline and import dependence rises.

The programme, approved on May 12 under the Strategic Aquaculture Development Plan, is led by the National Aquaculture Agency (ANA), which says most financing is expected to come from private investors as Senegal seeks to close a widening protein supply gap through farmed fish.

“Aquaculture has become a strategic necessity for the country,” said ANA Director General Samba Ka.

The plan targets aquaculture output of 20,000 tonnes by 2030, up from 3,049 tonnes in 2025.

At the centre of the strategy is the expansion of upstream and downstream infrastructure.

ANA plans to produce 52 million fish fry annually for hatcheries and commercial farms, while also promoting a domestic fish-feed industry to reduce reliance on imports.

Domestic feed production emerges as key growth lever

According to local newspaper Le Soleil, the strategy emphasises private sector participation, reflecting Senegal’s broader approach of using public frameworks to de-risk investment in agricultural value chains. Officials say without private capital, the sector may struggle to meet food security needs.

The expansion comes amid declining marine catches and pressure on coastal ecosystems, which have traditionally supported fisheries-dependent communities.

Authorities say wild capture fisheries can no longer meet protein demand, prompting a shift toward aquaculture.

The World Economic Forum has highlighted aquaculture production costs in Africa as 10% to 20% higher than the global average, largely due to feed constraints.

In a January report, it noted fish feed bottlenecks are a key driver of cost inflation across aquaculture value chains.

The WEF added that producers remain reliant on imported feed ingredients such as soybean meal and fishmeal from wild-caught fisheries, exposing the sector to price volatility and competing with human food supply chains.

For Senegal, the challenge is to expand production capacity while building a competitive input ecosystem.

Without local feed manufacturing and reliable hatchery networks, analysts say output targets may be difficult to sustain despite strong policy backing.

The plan to reach 20,000 tonnes by 2030 reflects a wider West African trend of turning to aquaculture to address overfishing and rising food import bills, with potential to position Senegal as a regional aquaculture hub.

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