Gov’t promotes aquaculture through fishermen’s cooperatives

ENTEBBE, July 12, 2026 – In an effort to reduce pressure on the country’s lakes, the State Minister for Fisheries, Robert Migadde, has urged Ugandan fishermen to form cooperatives and engage in aquaculture to enable them to benefit from government support.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries [MAAIF] has already embarked on a programme to strengthen fish farming across the country in order to meet the growing demand for fish and other fisheries resources.

During an interactive meeting with the outgoing Ambassador of the Netherlands to Uganda, Frederieke Quispel, in Entebbe, Minister Migadde revealed that plans are underway to facilitate fishing communities along the country’s lakes to establish cooperatives, enabling the government to provide them with appropriate support.

Migadde said the support would include aquaculture training, skills development in modern commercial fish farming methods, and assistance in strengthening the fisheries value chain to improve household incomes and livelihoods.

In 2025, MAAIF signed a Memorandum of Understanding [MoU] with the Government of the Netherlands worth at least €6 million to strengthen Uganda’s aquaculture sector through support to fish farmers, research, and the development of a sustainable fisheries value chain.

Minister Migadde expressed appreciation to the Dutch Government for the initiative, saying it would help reduce pressure on the country’s lakes, which have been affected by overfishing and the harvesting of immature fish.

“Due to a number of challenges on our lakes, including illegal fishing, the use of illegal fishing gear, the harvesting of immature fish and widespread unemployment, many people have lost their livelihoods because of the depletion of fish stocks,” Migadde said.

He added: “We want to work with the Government of the Netherlands to ensure that our people are sensitised about fish farming and that we build capacity to provide quality fingerlings and fish feed.”

Amb. Frederieke Quispel said the Netherlands chose to partner with Uganda because it is the leading exporter of fish within the East African Community. She noted that Uganda also has significant potential for cage and pond aquaculture compared with many other countries in the region.

Uganda’s fisheries sector has faced persistent challenges arising from overfishing and the use of illegal fishing gear, leading to the depletion of fish stocks. In response, the government previously imposed restrictions on fishing activities on lakes and other water bodies to allow depleted fisheries to recover and restore their aquatic ecosystems.

Fisheries experts say aquaculture is a rapidly expanding, highly lucrative sector in Uganda. The country is one of the largest aquaculture producers in Sub-Saharan Africa. The sub-sector produces over 65,000 metric tonnes of fish annually from roughly 10,000 farms, with Nile tilapia accounting for more than 82 percent of total output.

https://thecooperator.news/govt-to-inject-shs-30bln-into-local-fishing-communities/

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