• Lagos State begins construction of a large aquaculture center on a 35-hectare site.

• The center will produce 50 million fingerlings and 46,000 tons of fish and feed yearly.

• The project supports Nigeria’s 10-year plan to grow catfish output by 20% by 2032.

The Lagos State government has officially kicked off the construction of a major aquaculture facility called the Lagos Aquaculture Center of Excellence (LACE). The groundbreaking took place on May 16 in Igbonla, located in the Epe region. This initiative is part of a public-private partnership with Dula Agro-Services Limited.

According to an official statement, the first phase of the project will cost 10 billion naira, which is roughly $6.2 million. Once up and running, the center will produce every year around 50 million fingerlings, 2,000 tons of table-ready fish, 20,000 tons of processed fish, and 24,000 tons of fish feed.

The facility will include a hatchery, grow-out ponds, fish processing units, a feed mill, and a network of contract farmers who will supply the processing unit. In addition to production, the center will serve as a hub for research and training, focusing on sustainable farming methods and fish farming entrepreneurship.

Lagos State Agriculture Commissioner Abisola Olusanya said the project would also help diversify fish species farmed in the state. Over time, the center aims to train about 5,000 fish farmers.

This project is a big step forward for Nigeria’s fish farming industry. By expanding fingerling supply, it supports the growth of local fish farms and helps reduce reliance on imports. Just months before this, the Cross River State government opened a fish hatchery in Calabar that can produce 20 million fingerlings and 12 million juvenile fish per year.

Both investments are part of a broader national strategy. In 2022, Nigeria adopted a 10-year development plan to grow its African catfish industry. The goal is to increase catfish production by 20% to reach 324,000 tons by 2032.

Despite being Africa’s most populated country, Nigeria’s aquaculture output is still small. In 2022, total fish production reached 1.1 million tons. However, only 27% of that came from aquaculture, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Because of this shortfall, the country imports more than 700,000 tons of fish every year to meet domestic demand.

The new center in Lagos could mark a turning point, both for reducing imports and for unlocking more of Nigeria’s aquaculture potential.