• Burkina Faso launches floating cage fish farming project at Yakouta dam
• Dori site starts with 22 cages, targets 200 tons annually
• Government pushes aquaculture to cut fish imports and boost output

Agriculture Minister Ismael Sombie launched an aquaculture production project on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at a site in Dori, in Burkina Faso’s northeastern Liptako region. The ministry said in a statement that the project focuses on fish production using floating cages on the reservoir of the Yakouta dam.

Floating cage fish farming is a modern aquaculture technique in which fish are raised in submerged cages installed in reservoirs. Authorities said 22 cages were stocked with more than 150,000 fingerlings at the launch. The number of floating cages is expected to increase to 50 in a second phase, with annual production capacity estimated at 200 tons. The project reflects growing interest among operators in using floating cage farming to develop Burkina Faso’s aquaculture sector.

Before the Dori site, floating cage fish production was first successfully tested in April 2024 at the Samandeni dam in the Hauts-Bassins region. The project was carried out under the Agropastoral and Fisheries Offensive, with 180 floating cages initially installed. Authorities said they aimed to reach annual production of 54,000 tons by attracting private investors.

Building on the Samandeni project, a floating cage fish farming initiative backed by the food sovereignty fund, known as “Dumu Ka Fa,” was launched at the Bagre dam reservoir. Initially involving 44 private operators, the project has the potential to produce up to 1,500 tons of fish per year.

A largely untapped potential

In Burkina Faso, aquaculture’s contribution to domestic fish supply remains marginal. Data compiled by the FAO show that total fish production reached 31,406 tons in 2023, of which only 1,127 tons came from aquaculture, with the remainder from capture fishing. The UN agency said apparent fish consumption stood at 241,441 tons that year, pointing to a production gap of more than 200,000 tons covered through imports.

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics and Demography (INSD), Burkina Faso imported an average of 165,141 tons of fishery products per year between 2020 and 2024. The import bill over the period totalled 19.3 billion CFA francs ($34.7 million). Against this backdrop, the government is seeking to develop aquaculture. Official data estimate Burkina Faso’s theoretical aquaculture potential at 110,000 tons of fish per year, of which barely 1% is currently exploited.

It remains unclear whether growing interest in floating cage farming will enable better use of this potential in the coming years. Under the amended 2025 finance law, the government introduced a value-added tax (VAT) exemption on fish feed, aimed at lowering production costs and encouraging investment in the sector.

Feed accounts for around 80% of aquaculture production costs in Africa. A World Economic Forum report published on Jan. 19 said supply constraints push aquaculture costs on the continent 10% to 20% above the global average.

Stéphanas Assocle