Zimbabwe hosts Fisheries Investment Forum to unlock aquaculture opportunities

Harare - Zimbabwe is advancing its aquaculture sector by promoting the Nile Tilapia value chain. As part of this effort, the country hosted a high-level Fisheries and Aquaculture Investment Roundtable, that brought together government leaders, financial institutions, private sector players, development partners and fish producers to explore pathways for investment in the country’s emerging blue economy. 

The forum was convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Zimbabwe Aquaculture Value Chain Council (ZAqVCC), Chinhoyi University of Technology, the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the FISH4ACP programme. 

In remarks delivered on his behalf, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, Obert Jiri, described the roundtable as a pivotal moment for the sector’s transformation. 

“The Aquaculture Investment Roundtable is more than a conference; it is a call to action,” said the Permanent Secretary. “It is a platform to connect vision with capital, ideas with implementation, and opportunities with partnerships. Aquaculture is a critical pillar in Zimbabwe’s agricultural transformation agenda, and we invite investors to be part of this journey,” he added. 

Zimbabwe’s aquaculture sector currently faces a sizeable production gap. Demand for fish far exceeds domestic supply, with fingerling demand alone estimated at over 10 million per production season, compared to local supply of just over 8.4 million. This deficit, alongside rising consumer demand, signals clear opportunities for upstream and midstream investment. 

From pilot projects to commercial scale 

Addressing participants, Sara Piccoli, Programme Manager for Agriculture, Environment, Private Sector and Trade at the European Union Delegation to Zimbabwe, highlighted the importance of shifting from successful pilot initiatives to scaled, commercially viable investments. 

“Creating spaces for dialogue between producers, policymakers and investors is essential if we are to move from pilot successes to scale,” she said, noting that aquaculture sits at the intersection of food security, livelihoods, private sector development and climate resilience. 

She acknowledged that while Zimbabwe’s aquaculture sector is promising, it continues to face structural bottlenecks, including high feed costs, fragmented fingerling supply systems, infrastructure gaps and limited access to financial products aligned with fish production cycles. 

“Both the opportunity and entrepreneurial energy are there,” she said. “What is now required is confidence, courage and commitment,” she added. 

Through the FISH4ACP initiative, the EU and BMZ are supporting efforts to strengthen farmer clusters, improve fingerling distribution hubs in provinces such as Masvingo and Manicaland, and enhance technical and financial literacy among producers. 

Strong fundamentals, growing markets 

Zimbabwe consumes between 70 000 and 80 000 tonnes of fish annually, yet domestic production remains well below this level, resulting in sustained import dependence. At just 3.2 kg per capita per year, fish consumption is also far below the global average of 20.5 kg, pointing to significant untapped market potential. 

In a speech read on his behalf by Mathew Abang, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe, Patrice Talla, said the country has the natural endowments needed to build a competitive aquaculture industry. 

“Zimbabwe has the water bodies, climate and market demand to make aquaculture a high-return sector. Demand is rising fast, but local production continues to lag behind. What we need now is capital and innovation to scale,” he said.  

He added that FISH4ACP has helped lay essential foundations through national fisheries surveys, extension capacity building, fingerling hubs and farmer training programmes. 

“The opportunity is clear. The time is now. Let’s invest in Zimbabwe’s Blue Transformation,” Talla urged. 

Financial institutions signal readiness to engage 

A notable outcome of the roundtable was the strong engagement from financial institutions. While banks acknowledged that they currently lack dedicated aquaculture financing products, they expressed readiness to work with government and industry to co-design appropriate investment instruments. 

“We recognise that aquaculture has unique production cycles and risk profiles that are not always well served by traditional agricultural lending,” said a representative from a NMB bank. “While we do not yet have a specialised aquaculture product, we are ready to engage with stakeholders to model financing solutions that better align with fish farming realities,” added another from FBC bank. 

Banks highlighted the importance of robust business planning, reliable production data and structured outgrower models as ways to reduce risk and unlock blended finance and risk-sharing mechanisms. 

A pipeline of bankable opportunities 

Investors at the forum were presented with structured opportunities across the tilapia value chain, including hatchery and broodstock development to address fingerling shortages, feed production ventures to lower input costs, cold chain and processing infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses, and integrated outgrower schemes linking smallholders to anchor firms. Climate-smart technologies were also identified as critical to enhancing resilience and long-term sustainability. 

Government reaffirmed its commitment under the National Development Strategy 2 to provide regulatory certainty, facilitate access to land and water resources, and mobilise public and development finance to de-risk private investment. 

ZAqVCC Chair Silvanos Gwarinda described the roundtable as the start of a deeper investment mobilisation process. 

“This is an invitation to investors to engage early, shape partnerships and help build a competitive and sustainable aquaculture industry in Zimbabwe,” he said. 

With strong policy backing, growing demand and widening regional fish deficits, stakeholders agreed that Zimbabwe’s aquaculture sector is no longer a future prospect, but a sector ready for structured, scalable investment.