• ANA signs a cooperation agreement with Canada’s Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles.
• Partnership covers training, research, species diversification, and certification.
• Senegal aims to raise aquaculture output to 68,000 tons by 2032.

Senegal’s National Aquaculture Agency signed a cooperation agreement on November 18 with the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles, a Canadian higher education institution specializing in fisheries and aquaculture.

In a statement published on its website, the agency said the cooperation will focus on professional and technical training in aquaculture, research and innovation, production and diversification of high-value species, economic empowerment of youth and women, professional certification, and a competency-based approach.

These areas of collaboration show the regulator’s intention to accelerate the professionalization of Senegal’s aquaculture sector. The statement notes that the Canadian partner will provide academic expertise, develop training programs tailored to the sector’s needs, and mobilize technical and financial partners to support local initiatives.

For Senegal, expanding skills in the sector is essential to improving productivity and competitiveness, as well as attracting more private investment to support growth ambitions. As part of its ten-year aquaculture development roadmap adopted in 2023, the agency aims to increase national aquaculture production to 68,000 tons by 2032.

By comparison, local output stood at only 3,800 tons in 2023, according to FAO figures. Beyond the need for more professionalization along the value chain, the sector also faces structural challenges such as limited access to financing, inputs (fingerlings, fish feed), land, and markets.