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The Hidden Promise of Africa's Water Resources
The Hidden Promise of Africa's Water Resources
Sputnik Africa
The global push for a sustainable blue economy now hinges on Africa’s vast inland and coastal water systems, prompting investors to channel capital into the... 15.07.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-07-15T17:41+0200
2026-07-15T17:41+0200
2026-07-15T17:42+0200
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The Hidden Promise of Africa's Water Resources
Sputnik Africa
The global push for a sustainable blue economy now hinges on Africa’s vast inland and coastal water systems, prompting investors to channel capital into the continent’s aquaculture and treat it as critical infrastructure to strengthen global food security.
Africa possesses some of the world's richest freshwater resources such as major lakes, rivers and reservoirs, and is estimated to contain around 9 percent of the world's inland water resources. Africa contributes only about 2 percent of global aquaculture production, underscoring significant untapped potential for fish farming. Aquaculture has overtaken capture fisheries globally as the top source of aquatic animal production, and the fisheries and aquaculture sector together support some 600 million livelihoods worldwide, per FAO's 2024 report. The African Union and UNDP aim to grow Africa's blue economy to $405 billion and create 57 million jobs by 2030, and the African Development Bank backs this goal through programs like PROFISHBLUE and other regional fisheries initiatives. Kenya illustrates the growth ambition at a national level: its new Blue Economy Strategy targets nearly tripling total fish output, from aquaculture, deep-sea fishing, and value chains combined, from 163,000 to over 450,000 metric tons within five years. Experts say scaling this kind of growth across the continent would cut import dependence, strengthen food security for growing cities, and position Africa's freshwater and coastal systems at the center of the world's sustainable seafood supply.African Currents discussed the implications of the continent's blue economy transformation with Nigerian entrepreneur Salifu Daniel Eyiojotule, founder and CEO of AquaProX Africa. He believes that sustainable aquaculture can position the Africa as a leader in aquatic food production and food sovereignty, generating widespread employment, provided governments, the private sector, and young innovators collaborate with the right investment and policy backing.Catch the full discussion on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.► You can stream the podcast on Telegram, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.► Subscribe to and explore all the episodes of African Currents.
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The Hidden Promise of Africa's Water Resources
The global push for a sustainable blue economy now hinges on Africa’s vast inland and coastal water systems, prompting investors to channel capital into the continent’s aquaculture and treat it as critical infrastructure to strengthen global food security.
Africa possesses some of the world's richest freshwater resources such as major lakes, rivers and reservoirs, and is estimated to contain around 9 percent of the world's inland water resources. Africa contributes only about 2 percent of global aquaculture production, underscoring significant untapped potential for fish farming. Aquaculture has overtaken capture fisheries globally as the top source of aquatic animal production, and the fisheries and aquaculture sector together support some 600 million livelihoods worldwide, per FAO's 2024 report.
The African Union and UNDP aim to grow Africa's blue economy to $405 billion and create 57 million jobs by 2030, and the African Development Bank backs this goal through programs like PROFISHBLUE and other regional fisheries initiatives. Kenya illustrates the growth ambition at a national level: its new Blue Economy Strategy targets nearly tripling total fish output, from aquaculture, deep-sea fishing, and value chains combined, from 163,000 to over 450,000 metric tons within five years. Experts say scaling this kind of growth across the continent would cut import dependence, strengthen food security for growing cities, and position Africa's freshwater and coastal systems at the center of the world's sustainable seafood supply.
African Currents discussed the implications of the continent's blue economy transformation with Nigerian entrepreneur Salifu Daniel Eyiojotule, founder and CEO of AquaProX Africa. He believes that sustainable aquaculture can position the Africa as a leader in aquatic food production and food sovereignty, generating widespread employment, provided governments, the private sector, and young innovators collaborate with the right investment and policy backing.
"The future of food will increasingly come from water because aquatic food system or aquatic foods provide affordable protein, nutrition, livelihoods for millions of people. So, I think Africa's role is very, very important because the continent has a lot of untapped aquatic resources. So, the fast-growing population, rising food demand, and one of the youngest populations in the world, If Africa develops sustainable agricultural system correctly, it can improve food security, create jobs, reduce fish import dependency and become a major contributor to global food system [...]. I think Africa can maximize the blue transformation by investing in youth [...]. At the same time, more than 90 percent of Africa's international trade moves by sea, showing how deeply water-based systems already shape the continent's economy. Realizing the full potential of blue transformation in Africa will require more than natural resources. It will depend on sustained investment in innovation, infrastructure, skills, finance and governance systems that protect aquatic ecosystems while expanding production and value addition [...]. All we need is a support system from the right institution," Eyiojotule remarked.
Catch the full discussion on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.
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Subscribe to and explore all the episodes of African Currents.
