AN OVERVIEW OF TILAPIA CULTURE IN AFRICA

AND LESSONS LEARNED

Abdel-Fattah M. El-Sayed

Oceanography Department, Faculty of Science,

Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.

abdelfatah.youssif@alexu.edu.eg

ABSTRACT

Tilapia culture in Africa is relatively new; only during the last two decades it started to grow rapidly;
reaching an annual growth rate of about 18% during 1999-2016. The contribution of Africa to global tilapia
production is significant; being 20% in 2016. However, farmed tilapia output in Africa is dominated by a
single country; Egypt, which accounted for 80% (940,309 t) in 2016. If the contribution of Egypt is
discounted, Africa‟s contribution to global tilapia output would decline to only 4%. Tilapia culture is also
widely practiced in other countries, including Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The
contribution of the rest of African countries is insignificant. More than 71% of farmed tilapia production in
Africa comes from brackishwater environments. Eleven tilapia species are currently used for aquaculture in
Africa. However, Nile tilapia is, by far, the most widely cultured species; accounting for 95% of total tilapia
production in 2016. A considerable proportion of tilapia production is reported under “unidentified” tilapia
and tilapia hybrids. The production of unidentified tilapias in 2016 represented 3.4% of total tilapia
production in Africa in 2016. The contribution of other cichlids to tilapia production is insignificant. Tilapia
culture is practiced primarily in semi-intensive systems in earthen ponds, either solely, or in combination
with other fishes such as carps, mullets and African catfish. Intensive tilapia culture in floating cages is also
widely practiced in some African countries; and appears to have a great future potential. Tilapia production
in Africa is directed exclusively to local consumption; but this production does not meet the ever growing
consumers‟ demand. Therefore, large amounts of tilapia are imported from Asia. African markets account
for more than 50% of total frozen whole tilapia market. The domestic value chain of tilapia in Africa is
simple and short; including limited categories before reaching the final end user; namely fish producers
(input production, farming, harvesting, handling and transportation), fish traders (wholesalers), and
retailers; with Little added values. Tilapia culture in Africa is facing several challenges and constraints,
including lack of quality feeds and seeds; extremely high prices of imported feeds and feed ingredients and
other farming inputs, poor quality of farm-made fish feed, lack of technical, financial and extension support,
limited added value to tilapia products, lack of skilled personnel, poor logistic services, limited access to land
and water resources and competition for land and water resources by multiple users. Therefore, urgent
intervention by local authorities, international organizations and the private sector is needed. Despite these
challenges, investment opportunities in tilapia culture in Africa are promising. The present review highlights
the lesson learned and the way forward.

1. TILAPIA PRODUCTION IN AFRICA

Tilapias are a group of freshwater Cichlid fish species originating exclusively from Africa
(Philippart and Ruwet, 1982; El-Sayed, 2006). They are distributed throughout the continent,
except for the northern Atlas Mountains and southwest Africa (McAndrew, 2000). Despite this
attribute, tilapia culture in Africa, except in Egypt, lags far behind Asia, into which these fishes
have been introduced. The contribution of Africa to global tilapia production was 20% in 2016
(FAO, 2018). However, this figure could be misleading, because about 80% of farmed tilapia in
Africa comes from a single country; Egypt. If the contribution of Egypt is discounted, Africa‟s
contribution to global tilapia output would decline to only 4%. Nonetheless, farmed tilapia

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production in Africa has sharply increased during the past two decades, compared to capture
fisheries, which remained almost about stable (Figure 1).

2. MAJOR PRODUCERS
The number of African countries practicing tilapia farming is increasing progressively. For
example, 45 African countries reported production of farmed tilapia in 2016, compared to only 10
countries ten years earlier. As mentioned above, farmed tilapia output in Africa is dominated by
Egypt, which contributed 80% 940,309 metric tons (MT) (80%) to total farmed tilapia production
in Africa in 2016 (Table 1). Tilapia culture in Egypt is practiced mainly in brackishwater
environments in the northern lakes areas along the Mediterranean coast. Tilapia culture is also
widely practiced in other countries, including Uganda, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and
Zimbabwe (Table 1). It is noteworthy that Uganda is currently among the top ten tilapia producers
in the world (ranked 9th in 2016). Significant attention has also been given to tilapia farming in
Mali, Malawi, Tanzania, Benin, Burundi and Sudan during the last few years. The contribution of
the rest of African countries to farmed tilapia output is insignificant.

3. MAJOR CULTURED SPECIES

Eleven tilapia species are currently farmed in Africa (Table 2), compared to only three species
in 1980. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is, by far, the most widely cultured species; being
farmed in 29 African countries out of 45 countries that practiced tilapia culture in Africa in 2016
(FAO, 2018). It also accounted for 95% of total tilapia production in Africa in 2016. The culture of
other tilapia species, namely blue tilapia (O. aureus), longfin tilapia (O. macrochir), three spotted
tilapia (O. andersonii), Mozambique tilapia (O. mossambicus), tilapia shiranus (O. shiranus),
Tanganjikan tilapia (O. tanganicae), mango tilapia (Sarotherodon galilaeus), blachchin tilapia (S.
melanotheron), redbelly tilapia (Tilapia zillii) and redbreast tilapia (T. rendalli) is also practiced,
though production is very limited. In addition, a considerable proportion of farmed tilapia output is
reported under “unidentified” tilapia and tilapia hybrids. This category comes second after Nile
tilapia in terms of production, with a contribution of 39,663 MT (3.4%) in 2016.

4. TILAPIA FARMING SYSTEMS

The adoption of tilapia culture systems in Africa depends on the species cultured, the
intensity of management inputs, labour requirements, feeding and fertilization levels and level of
integration with other agricultural/animal production activities. Generally speaking, extensive,
semi-intensive and intensive systems are commonly used.

4.1. NON-COMMERCIAL, EXTENSIVE CULTURE

Non-commercial, rural/subsistence, extensive tilapia culture is a small-scale, low input-low
output activity; practiced mainly for family subsistence. This system plays an important role in
food security, generating extra income, poverty alleviation, and improving overall household
livelihoods in rural areas. It is practiced in earthen ponds, varying in size (<100 m2 to 1,000 m2),
depth and ownership (Hecht, 2007; Chimatiro and Chirwa, 2007; El-Sayed, 2013a). Family labour
is generally used, while the use of hired labour is very rare because many smallscale farmers do
not have the cash to hire external labour. Both monoculture of tilapia (O. niloticus and Tilapia
spp.) and polyculture of tilapia with North African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and common carp
(Cyprinus carpio) are commonly practiced in in this system in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The use
of mixed-sex tilapia is common, although sex-reversed (all male) tilapia culture is wide spreading
in a number of SSA countries (e.g. Côte d‟Ivoire, Malawi, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and Zambia) (El-
Sayed, 2013a). Non-commercial tilapia culture is primarily based on a fertilization system using a
compost crib built inside the pond; where cultured tilapia depend exclusively on the natural food
production. Stocking densities of tilapia fingerlings in this system are generally low, ranging from

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1-4 fish/ m2. Non-commercial, extensive tilapia culture in SSA is generally integrated with
horticulture and/or animal production activities.

4.2. SEMI-INTENSIVE CULTURE

Semi-intensive (SI), small-scale tilapia culture in earthen ponds is the most popular farming
system in Africa; where tilapia monoculture and polyculture systems are common used. In Egypt,
for example, 86% of aquaculture output is produced semi-intensively in earthen ponds, with
monosex tilapia being the target species (GAFRD, 2018). More than 95% of tilapia farmers in
Tanzania also culture mixed-sex Nile tilapia in earthen ponds in monoculture (Quagrainie et al.,
2005). However, polyculture of Nile tilapia (or other tilapia species; e.g. O. shiranus and O.
mossambicus in Malawi and O. andersonii in Zambia) with North African catfish or other clariids
such as Heterobranchus spp. is gaining popularity in some countries, such as Nigeria, Cameroon,
Ghana, Kenya and Uganda, because of the higher yields (Hecht, 2007; El-Sayed, 2013a).
Naturally available food, through pond fertilization, is the major food input in in SI in Africa. Both
organic manures and chemical fertilizers are applied (Table 3). Stocking densities in SI systems
range from 1 to 4 fish m-2.
In addition to natural food, supplemental feed is always provided to tilapia ponds. A variety
of feed inputs are used, ranging from single feed ingredients (e.g. corn bran, maize bran, wheat
bran, rice bran and bakery wastes), farm-made feeds to commercial feeds. The application of
supplemental feed depends on fish species, sex and size, stocking density, natural food
availability, and country. In Egypt, for example, semi-intensive tilapia farmers use commercial feed
(25-30% cp) throughout the production cycle; while the adoption of pond fertilization is shrinking
(El-Sayed, 2013b). In many SSA countries, single feed ingredients, plant leaves and even kitchen
leftovers are commonly used. Therefore, the production of semi-intensive pond systems vary
considerably from one country to another, ranging from less than one MT ha-1 per year to over 7
MT ha-1 per year (El-Sayed, 2013a).

4.3. AQUACULTURE/AGRICULTURE INTEGRATION

Aquaculture/agriculture integration can also lead to a significant improvement in cash
income of farmers‟ household in Africa. If properly integrated, tilapia culture can lead to more fish
production, better diversification and enhancement of the farming systems and retaining
environmental and social sustainability, in addition to improvement of households‟ livelihoods
(Brummett and Williams, 2000; Brummett, 2002). However, small-scale aquaculture/agriculture
integration in SSA is faced with many constraints that may render the system unsustainable
(Aganyira, 2005). This is mainly because integrated livestock-fish aquaculture is confined to
remote villages by few poor farmers with little knowledge and experience (Aganyira, 2005).
Despite these constraints, a number of research projects have considered the integration of fish
culture with other agriculture activities different African countries (Aganyira, 2005; van Dam et al.,
2006; Shoko et al., 2011). These studies showed that rural aquaculture integrated with
agriculture, and the use of agricultural wastes as pond inputs was highly profitable. The growth
rates, yield and net profit of integrated tilapia pond, fertilized with chicken manure and fed with
35% cp supplementary feed, in Tanzania, were better than non-integrated ponds (Shoko et al.,
2011). Similarly, Mlelwa (2016) found that the integration of Nile tilapia and Chinese cabbage was
more efficient and profitable than in ponds receiving feed or manure only. Cabbage plots irrigated
from fish ponds had significantly higher leave diameter, length, number of leaves and yield
compared to those irrigated with stream water. Reports on integrated livestock-tilapia on Lake
Victoria Basin (Kenya) indicated that a 200-m2 pond fertilized with cow dung can provide an
additional per capita fish supply of 3.4 kg to a household of 7 people and an average production
of about 200 kg ha-1 per year (van Dam et al., 2006).
The potential of farming tilapia in integration with land crops, such as rice, wheat and
alfalfa, in Africa is high. In Egypt, for example, rice-fish farming is commonly practiced in Delta
governorates, where rice is widely farmed. Common carp, tilapia and African catfish are currently
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used in this system. In 2014, the amount of fish produced from rice fields amounted to 33,978
MT representing 3% of total aquaculture production (GAFRD, 2015). Trials on rice /fish farming in
Ghana were successful (Ofori et al., 2005). The revenue from the rice-fish system was 5 – 11%
higher than that obtained from rice monoculture. In Egypt, tilapia are harvested in November/
December; and the ponds remain abandoned until March/April, due to the drop in water
temperature. These ponds are used for growing wheat in some areas in Northern Delta Region. This
practice is highly productive and water efficient (El-Sayed, 2017a). An average yield of 5.4 t ha-1
was produced using only the water remaining in the pond bottom without any fertilization (van
der Heijden, 2012). Fath El-Bab et al. (2014) reported also that wheat/tilapia integration increased
the profit by 16.6%.

4.4. INTENSIVE CULTURE

Intensive tilapia culture is practiced in a few African countries (Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria,
Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Uganda), mainly in cages and, to a lesser extent, in earthen
ponds, tanks, raceways and recirculating systems.

4.4.1. Cage Culture

The aquaculture of tilapia in floating cages is practiced at different scales in in a number of
African countries. Nonetheless, Egypt remains the most important producers from this system,
with a production amounted to 74,996 MT in 2016, representing 8% of total farmed tilapia
production and 5.5% of total aquaculture output (GAFRD, 2018). Small scale (32 m3) to large-
scale (600 m3) square cages, arranged in groups of arrays, are commonly used. The cages are
generally stocked with tilapia fingerlings (3 to > 50 g) at 60 to 100 fish m-3, and fed with
commercial floating) feeds (25-30%), 2 to 3 times per day. The fish reach 300 to >500 g in 6 - 9
months, with a total production of 25-40 kg m-3 (El-Sayed, 2017a).
In the rest of Africa, tilapia cage culture is slowly growing; with a relatively low
contribution to total tilapia production (El-Sayed, 2013a). Cage culture of tilapia is practiced in a
number of SSA countries, including Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and
Zimbabwe. A major advantage of cage farming is the significant reduction in capital investment
per unit of fish production relative to other intensive systems (e.g. ponds and tanks) (Satia,
2017). Cages are also generally cheaper to build than ponds and tanks.

Nile tilapia is the only cage-farmed species in these countries, except in Malawi,
where chambo (O. shiranus and O. karongae) are the main species cultured (Blow and
Leonard, 2007). Small (48 m3) to medium (108 m) cages, made of locally available
materials, are generally used. Commercial, large-scale cages (800-1,200 m3) are also used
in Ghana and Zimbabwe (Hecht, 2007). Cages are stocked with tilapia fingerlings (10-30
g) at varying densities, ranging between 63-188 fish m-3 (Ofori et al., 2009). Both farm-
made feeds and commercial feeds (25-32 cp) are used to feed cage cultured tilapia. After
5-7 months, the fish can attain a marketable size of 300-500 g.

4.4.2. Tank and Raceway Culture

Intensive tank tilapia culture in Africa, especially in Egypt, is slowly growing, especially in
arid and semi-arid areas where freshwater or brackish water is limited. Square, rectangular or
round concrete or fiberglass tanks are generally used in this system. However, most of the tilapia
farmers in Egypt use concrete tanks for raising all-male Nile tilapia, at densities of ranging
between 25 and 100 m-3, depending on the initial stocking size. Tanks are aerated with air
compressors (0.5–1 horsepower, depending on tank size and stocking density), paddle wheels, or
water spraying over the tank surface. Tank water is also partially replaced with freshwater when
needed. Tank-raised tilapia are generally fed with extruded feeds (sinking or floating pellets- 25-
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30% cp), to grow to about 200-300 g over a 5 to 7 month period. When over-wintered tilapia (30
to 60 g) are stocked, they can grow to 300 g to >500 g in 6 to 9 months. The total production
ranges between 10 to 30 kg m-3, depending on the stocking densities and culture periods.
Tilapia culture in concrete tanks and raceways in the rest of Africa is very limited and is
practiced in only a few countries. In Kenya and Zambia, circular and „D-ended‟ concrete tanks are
used for the production of Nile tilapia (Hecht, 2007). The size and shape of tilapia culture tanks
vary depending on the culture objectives. A number of large-scale commercial tilapia enterprises
have been recently established in SSA (e.g. Republic of South Africa and Congo) (A.-F.M. El-
Sayed, 2018, personal survey). Fish are fed either farm-made pellets or commercial feeds (mostly
imported). Tilapia ponds are often aerated with paddle wheels or blowers.

5. TILAPIA STRESS AND DISEASES

The expansion of tilapia culture in Africa has increased their susceptibility to stress and
disease outbreaks, leading to severe mortality and economic losses. The switch from semi-
intensive, low input systems to more high input, intensive systems, in some African countries (e.g.
Egypt) has escalated disease outbreaks. Therefore, infectious diseases of cultured tilapia have
been well-documented as a major problem facing tilapia culture in many African countries.
Parasitic diseases, including protozoan, crustacean, and helminthic diseases have been reported in
farmed and wild tilapia in Egypt (Aly, 2013), Kenya and Uganda, and in Ethiopia (Florio et al.,
2009; (Akoll et al., 2012; Mavuti et al., 2017) and Nigeria (Okaeme and Okojie, 1989), causing
illness, mortality, and economic loss.
Bacterial infections by Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Flexibacter, Vibro, Edwardsiella and
Streptococcus spp. have also been recorded in many tilapia farms throughout Egypt, causing
heavy mortality and severe economic loss. Disease symptoms included septicemia, ulceration, loss
of appetite, development of ulcers, ascites, exophthalmia, fin rot, dislodged eyeballs, sluggishness,
and the presence of internal focal haemorrhagic necrosis (Aly, 2013). Just recently,

Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) (or syncytial hepatitis of tilapia (SHT)) has also recently emerged
as a major threat to tilapia culture industry worldwide. It has been a cause of several outbreaks
with massive loss of farmed tilapia in many counties, including Colombia, Ecuador, Israel, Egypt,
Thailand, India, Malaysia and the Philippines. In Egypt, mortality of farmed Nile tilapia during the
summer months in recent years, presumably due to TiLV, resulted in an economic loss of around
USD 100 million in 2015 (Fathi et al., 2017).
These disease incidents demonstrate the need to lay emphasis on improved capacity for
disease diagnosis, aquatic animal health certification and quarantine, disease surveillance and
reporting on-farm level management, contingency planning, zoning and import risk analysis.
However, aquatic animal health strategies and action plans have not been developed in most of
African countries.

6. TILAPIA MARKETING IN AFRICA

In Africa, tilapia marketing and distribution channels are very simple, with minimal
interference from governmental authorities. The tilapia markets in Africa are diverse; ranging
from local, small- scale markets where the fish is sold mainly at farm gate and roadside, to more
commercial distribution channels, connected to large retail centers. In addition to the amounts of
tilapia which are consumed by local communities, most of farmed and captured tilapia are
directed to urban markets in large cities, especially in Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda and Nigeria.
However, small-scale and informal tilapia traders are an important ring in the tilapia distribution
and marketing chain; leading to a significant improvement in the livelihood of households,
especially among women traders. In addition, large-scale distribution and retail chains and
07
supermarkets are expanding in urban areas throughout Africa. These retailers generally sell fresh
and frozen products.
In some countries (e.g. Nigeria and Uganda), tilapia is sold in different forms; fresh,
smoked, fried, salted, or cooked in different recipes. Value-added products such as fish fingers,
fish cakes, and other ready-to-serve fish are also produced (Atanda and Fagbenro, 2017; Hyuha
et al., 2017). However, the high cost of tilapia production, processing and distribution remains a
major challenge in SSA. In addition, the increased demand for tilapia in many African countries
has increased the prices of these products much further.

5.1. Tilapia Imports and Exports

Because produced tilapia does not meet consumers‟ demand for fish in Africa, substantial
amounts of tilapia is imported; making Africa an important market for imputed fish. For example,
China exports frozen tilapia products to over 50 African countries, especially in SSA. About 64% of
Chinese whole frozen tilapia was directed to African markets in 2016, especially to Cameroon,
Côte d‟Ivoire, Kenya and Zambia. In addition, African markets accounted for 51% of total frozen
whole tilapia market in quantity, and 55% in value. However, the prices of frozen whole tilapia in
most African markets are higher than the world average. Nonetheless, it is projected that Africa,
particularly SSA countries, such as Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria,
Uganda and Zambia will continue to present a strong market potential for tilapia producers,
processers and traders.

7. TILAPIA FEED INDUSTRY

The value chain of the aquafeed sectors in Africa is relatively simple and short. Two types of
value chain have been identified;
1- Small-scale, on-farm aquafeed value chain; and
2- Commercial aquafeed value chain.

6.1. On-farm Aquafeed

The vast majority of small-scale fish farms in Africa rely on farm-made feeds, fed in moist
or sun-dried form (Alagoa et al., 2011). This is simply because these commercial farmers cannot
afford manufactured pelleted feeds. The farmers also have minimal access to quality feed
ingredients, finance, and logistic services, including handling, transport and storage facilities, etc.
Farm-made feed formulations range from single feed ingredients such as wheat bran, rice bran or
ground corn, to formulated mixes, moist feed cakes and processed, dry pellets. Farm-made feed
producers generally buy feed ingredients from local suppliers, agents, and other cheaper sources.
The feeds are made using easy and simple processing techniques, including grinding raw
ingredients and mixing them at certain ration to make a balanced diet. The diets are pelletized to
produce sinking pellets, using simple milling units. Most of these units are locally made, using
simple technologies, and are not equipped with air driers. They are operated manually or by diesel
(Gabriel et al., 2007). Therefore, they are relatively cheap and can be afforded by on-farm feed
producers and small-scale commercial feed producers (El-Sayed, 2013, 2014). Produced feeds are
sun-dried or oven-dried. However, sun drying is the most common method used for feed drying in
many parts of Africa. After drying the pellets are broken into appropriate sizes suitable for the
developmental stages of farmed fishes.

6.2. Commercial Aquafeed

The commercial aquafeed industry in almost all African countries (except Egypt) lags far
behind market demand. This industry is one of the least developed subsectors of aquaculture in
the continent (El-Sayed, 2013). Commercial aquafeed production in most of African countries is
00
still limited, and the number of commercial aquafeed mills is still low. Also, produced aquafeeds
are often of poor and inconsistent quality. The high demand and lack of local competition also
lead to over-pricing of aquafeeds. Only a few African countries produce formulated, commercial
aquafeeds (i.e. Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
(El-Sayed, 2013, 2017). International aquafeed producers started installing aquafeed mills in some
countries (Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Zambia), with distribution offices in certain countries
throughout the continent (El-Sayed, 2017b). Some animal feed producers also added fish feed
production lines to their production facilities, or modified the existing animal feed mills to produce
aquafeeds. Most of aquafeeds in Africa are produced by the private sector. In Egypt, for example,
over 90% of aquafeed is produced by private sector (El-Sayed et al., 2015). In some countries,
feed mills are joint projects between the governments and the private sector.
Despite the extremely high prices of imported aquafeeds, many tilapia farmers still rely on
these feeds, due to their reliable quality. However, many other farmers cannot afford these feeds
and are forced to use farm-made feeds or locally produced commercial feeds which are generally
of inferior quality.

7. CHALLENGES AND CONSTRAINTS

From the above overview, the following constraints have been identified as the major
challenges facing the development and sustainability of tilapia culture (and aquaculture in general)
in Africa.

1. Poor quality and high cost of culture inputs (especially feeds ingredients and processed
feeds and seeds), which leads to high production costs and an increase in fish prices in the
local markets.
2. Inadequate infrastructure (poor roads, electricity supply, storage, poor marketing
channels, poor farming facilities and inadequate maintenance programs, etc.), which
adversely affects the rest of tilapia culture value chain.
3. Inadequate and/or inappropriate legal and regulatory frameworks.
4. Inadequate capacity building and extension services in all parts of the value chain of tilapia
culture.
5. Lack of technical skills and low adoption of modern technology.
6. Lack/non-existence of financial and insurance systems to fish farmers and other players in
the aquaculture value chain in Africa. Consequently, fish farmers, especially small farmers,
have less access to insurance, credit and financial support.
7. Inadequate markets and marketing infrastructure, pre- and/or post-harvest losses.
8. Limited added values to produced fish.
9. Limited access to land and water resources, and degradation of these sources; in addition
to competition for land and water resources by multiple users.
10. Increasing incidence of various disease outbreaks in tilapia farms, with poor control and
prevention measures.
11. Poor/inadequate education and research and development programs.

8. LESSON LEARNED AND THE WAY FORWARD

1. Immediate attention should be paid to the improvement in infrastructure and aquaculture

service logistics. This will attract investments and will open up aquaculture business in
many African countries, especially in SSA.
2. There is an urgent need for aquatic animal health strategies and action plans. Formulation
and implementation of regulatory measures to control the spread of diseases should be
adopted by African governments.
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 3. Aquaculture Education and Research and Development is must, especially in tilapia seed
production (selective breeding and dissemination of improved strains), farming
technologies, nutrition and feeding, tilapia health management, etc. Public sector agencies
should increase their investment in aquaculture education and research and development
programs.
4. Appropriate aquafeed policy, regulatory frameworks and feed standards need to be
developed and institutional capacity strengthened in agencies responsible for aquaculture
management, monitoring and compliance. Implementing well developed, continuous
monitoring programs for inspecting feedstuffs, finished feeds and production and storage
facilities is also necessary.
5. There is an urgent need for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of aquaculture
extension and regulation, with the involvement of the private sector and fish farmers‟
associations. Extension services and training programs should be directed to building the
capacity of tilapia farmers, hatchery managers, traders, retailers, processors, and other
players of the value chain. Capacity building can be done through: training courses,
workshops, seminars, case studies, flyers and brochures, field visits, Video documentaries,
etc.
6. African countries must lay emphasis on insurance and financial instruments and
frameworks to support fish farmers, aquafeed producers, and traders.
7. Inadequate and/or inappropriate legal and regulatory frameworks.
8. The conventional aquaculture sector should be converted into a market-oriented sector, to
be qualified for export. Improved harmonization and compliance with international
standards for exports will be necessary. This will require appropriate market and marketing
infrastructure and reforming laws and legislation for monitoring of quality and compliance.
9. Legislation and regulations should be issued by the government to guarantee the quality, biosecurity,
traceability and safety of fish feeds, produced fish and fish products. These should establish basic
procedures and measurements for enforcement, and provide standards, guidelines and
recommendations for BAMPs. Legislation and regulations should be coherent and be
complementary parts of the overall national feed/food legislation.

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 Table 1. Production of farmed tilapia by major producers in Africa during 7002-2016 (FAO FAO, 2018).

Country 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Egypt 265,862 386,186 390,280 557,049 610,617 768,752 635,843 759,601 875,513 940,309

Ghana 3,500 5,100 6,676 9,424 18,200 26,400 30,900 36,900 43,300 50,900

Kenya 2,965 3,113 3,424 9,115 16,602 16,115 17,626 18,072 13,991 11,180

Nigeria 9,272 3,233 10,218 11,989 13,675 16,872 21,681 27,987 28,284 23,706

Uganda 16,891 17,130 21,573 31,670 28,181 52,303 47,841 53,093 57,329 74,654

Zambia 5,839 5,604 8,437 10,208 10,448 12,956 20,233 19,195 22,595 30,085

Zimbabwe 2,500 2,600 2,650 2,700 7,600 8,000 10,000 10,510 10,510 10,000

Others 9,254 10,161 10,852 12,248 13,630 16,197 20,017 23,761 28,140 36,428

Grand
316,083 433,127 454,110 644,403 718,953 917,595 804,141 949,119 1,079,662 1,177,262
total

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 Table 2. Major cultured tilapia species and species production in Africa during 2010-2016 (FAO, 2018).

Species Scientific name 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Banded Hemichromis
jewelfish fasciatus 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 0.3
Blackchin Sarotherodon
tilapia melanotheron 0 9 12 16 54 58 190 264 239 263
Blue tilapia Oreochromis aureus 160 160 160 225 646 650 650 650 650 650
Oreochromis
Longfin tilapia macrochir 195 187 1,174 1,420 1,453 1,620 2,147 1,340 764 1,100
Sarotherodon
Mango tilapia galilaeus 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5
Mozambique Oreochromis
tilapia mossambicus 110 100 148 1,076 1,116 1,320 1,368 1,400 1,525 2,064
Oreochromis
Nile tilapia niloticus 296,710 419,328 430,405 616,691 683,989 878,159 756,275 893,786 1,022,680 1,121,067
Redbelly
tilapia Tilapia zillii 129 131 129 171 81 2 2 2 12 7
Redbreast
tilapia Tilapia rendalli 163 160 849 1,001 1,036 1,617 2,113 2,770 3,760 3,142
Three spotted Oreochromis
tilapia andersonii 2,098 2,014 3,090 3,735 3,860 4,038 4,188 3,310 3,172 4,151
Tilapia Oreochromis
shiranus shiranus 0 0 0 0 600 820 1079 1754 1880 4851
Unidentified Oreochromis
Tilapias (=Tilapia) spp 16,510 11,030 18,135 20,060 26,109 29,301 35,977 43,648 44,690 39,663
Tanjanikian Oreochromis
Tilapia tanganicae 0 0 0 0 0 0 142 185 280 300

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Table 3. Feed and fertilization strategies suggested for optimum yield of tilapia in semi-intensive culture systems in Africa.

Cultured fish Fertilization regime Feeding Culture Yield Remarks Reference

Period (MT ha-1)
(days)
Species Size Density
(country) (g) ha-1
O. niloticus 202- 7600 Cattle manure, daily, 226 CSC: 100 Polyculture with C. Middendorp
(Cameroon) 222 kg dry wt. ha-1/day 3% bw d-1 4.80 yr-1 gariepinus (1100 fish ha-1) (1995)
6% bw d-1 6.50 yr-1 as police-fish.

♂O. niloticus 1-3 20,000 Chicken manure, 1000 kg 30% cp diet, 3% bw 145 7.40 yr-1 African catfish (59 g) were Green et al.
(Egypt) ha-1/wk, for 60 days. d-1, starts day 60. used for seed control. (2002)
54.4 kg urea + 92.4 kg SP - No feeding. 145 3.20 yr-1 Same regime
ha-1/wk
Nile tilapia 13.8 30,000 750 kg chicken litter ha-1, 25% cp diet, 3% bw 133 4.75 Feeding at 6-wk delay was Abdelghany et
Silver carp 1.9 biweekly application, 100 d-1, 6 wks after comparable to no delay, al. (2002)
Common carp 10.7 TP and 20 kg urea ha-1 stocking. and better than at 13-wk
(Egypt) delay.
Nile tilapia 0.3 30,000 Chicken litter (550 kg ha-1 25% cp floating 190 4.9-8.6 With equal nutrient inputs El-Naggar et
Catfish 132 - /week) or monophosphate pellets, twice a day, and stocking densities, al. (2008)
Silver carp 100 50,000 (72.5 kg ha-1/week) and urea to satiation, 60 days manure-fertilized ponds
(Egypt) (45 kg ha-1/week) after stocking could perform equally
well as pellet-fed ponds.
Nile tilapia 5.0 35,000 Weekly; Compost at 300 kg Supplemental feed 150 4.75 Ahmed and
Silver carp 5.0 5,000 ha-1; cattle manure at 425 (25% CP) was Hassan (2011)
Mullet (Egypt) 5.0 10,000 kg ha-1; chicken litter at 425 added to all
kg ha-1or 5 kg urea + 20 kg treatments at 5%
TSP ha-1. BW/day.
Nile tilapia 10 24,000 Weekly, poultry manure at Supplemental feed 180 7.2 African catfish (100 g) were A.F. El-Sayed,
Thinlip mullet 40 5,200 500 kg/ha. (25% CP) was used for controlling Personal
(Egypt) added (ad libitum) overpopulation of tilapia. survey (2013)
♂ O. niloticus 16.9 1000 DAP + urea, 20 kg ha-1 N 147 2.95 During cool season Veverica et
(Kenya) wk-1 (22.5-26.4 °C) al. (2001)

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♂ O. niloticus 21 20,000 Urea (20 kg N ha-1) and Wheat bran, local 258 6.2–7.7 yr-1 C. gariepinus (1000 fish Liti et al.
(Kenya) DAP (8 kg P ha-1) weekly diets, pig diets; ha-1; formulated feed (2005)
twice per day, 2% was best; wheat bran
BW/day was most economic;
FCR: 2.6–3.0

♂ O. niloticus 14 19,462 Urea (20 kg N ha-1, Rice bran, wheat 250 6.2–7.7 C. gariepinus (250 fish ha- Liti et al.
-1 1
(Kenya) DAP (8 kg P ha ) weekly bran, maize bran ); maize bran produced (2006)
highest yield; wheat bran
was most cost-effective
AP, ammonium phosphate; SP, Super phosphate; TSP, triple super phosphate; DAP, Diammonium phosphate.

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