• Sector output doubled since 2019 but faces high costs, tech gaps

• Government targets fish supply deficit exceeding 640,000 tons in 2021
  

Ghana will set up a development fund to boost its aquaculture industry, aiming to turn the sector into a driver of food security, job creation, and sustainable growth.

Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang announced the initiative at the Aquaculture Ghana 2025 conference held in Accra on October 30-31. She said the fund will improve access to financing for fish farmers, strengthen infrastructure, and expand research and technology transfer across the country.

The financing mechanism is also intended to sustain the rapid growth seen in Ghana’s still-emerging aquaculture sector. According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, aquaculture production nearly doubled from 52,360 tons in 2019 to 100,000 tons in 2023. With that increase, aquaculture now accounts for nearly 20 percent of Ghana’s total fish output, estimated at 484,412 tons last year.

Despite these gains, the industry faces structural challenges, including high input and energy costs, fish diseases, and limited access to modern technology and financing.

A key priority for the government is narrowing the gap between domestic supply and demand for fish products. With annual per capita fish consumption estimated at 24.6 kilograms, Ghana recorded a supply deficit exceeding 640,000 tons in 2021, according to official data.

Aquaculture activity is concentrated mainly in the Eastern, Greater Accra, and Volta regions, which together account for about 82 percent of national production.

Stéphanas Assocle