• $33 million program aims to strengthen fisheries and aquaculture value chains

• Authorities target aquaculture output of 35,000 tons by 2031

• Imports surge as domestic production continues to decline

Côte d’Ivoire has officially launched the Competitive Value Chain Development Project for Aquaculture and Sustainable Fisheries (ProDeCAP), a five-year initiative aimed at increasing the contribution of the fisheries and aquaculture sector to local and national economies, as well as to food and nutrition security.

The project, rolled out on March 26 with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), is designed to address structural weaknesses across the sector while strengthening production and value chains.

A $33 million investment plan

ProDeCAP is backed by a budget of €28.95 million (about $33.1 million), financed at 85% through a loan from the African Development Bank, with the remainder provided by the Ivorian government and other stakeholders.

The program will focus on improving governance and the sustainable management of marine, lagoon, and inland fisheries. It also aims to develop aquaculture and strengthen competitive value chains across the sector. The total number of direct and indirect beneficiaries is estimated at around 700,000 people, including about 50,000 involved in aquaculture and 650,000 in fisheries.

The project has nationwide scope, with implementation concentrated in three main zones: the coastal area—including Abidjan, Jacqueville, Assinie, and the departments of San Pedro, Tabou, Grand-Béréby, and Sassandra—and inland water systems such as rivers, lowlands, artesian wells, and floodplains across central watersheds. These include areas such as Man, Bouaké, Toumodi, Yamoussoukro, Soubré, Béoumi, as well as the Kossou and Buyo reservoirs.

On aquaculture, authorities are counting on ProDeCAP to raise production to 35,000 tons by 2031, up from just 8,806 tons in 2023, according to FAO data. If achieved, this increase would strengthen the sector’s contribution to the country’s fish supply.

A sector struggling to recover

The new investment plan comes as Côte d’Ivoire’s fisheries and aquaculture sector continues to fall short of its 2018 peak production of 113,637 tons, according to FAO data. Output stood at 87,228 tons in 2023, marking a decline of 23.23% over five years.

Several long-standing challenges continue to limit the sector’s growth. A 2024 African Development Bank analysis highlights high post-harvest losses, limited value chain infrastructure, the impact of climate change on fish stock regeneration, widespread illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and limited access to financing for fishers and small and medium-sized enterprises.

In this context of declining production, reliance on imports—already significant—has increased sharply, driven by growing demand in urban centers such as Abidjan.

Between 2015 and 2024, import volumes rose from about 388,000 tons to more than 732,000 tons, an increase of nearly 90%, according to data from the General Directorate of Customs. This surge has been accompanied by a sharp rise in costs. Over the same period, the value of fish imports increased from CFA229 billion (about $411.7 million) to more than CFA518 billion.

Stéphanas Assocle