Meeting demand for tasty tilapia in Côte d’Ivoire
Aquaculture helps reduce country’s dependence on imports and provides protein source for population
Despite being a traditionally male profession in Côte d’Ivoire, aquaculture is Diakité Salimata’s passion, and she is training her daughter to follow in her footsteps. ©FAO/Celeste Diom
15/05/2025
In a country that consumes around 500 000 tonnes of it a year, it is safe to say that the people of Côte d’Ivoire love to eat fish. In fact, it is their number one source of animal protein. According to their Ministry of Animal and Fisheries Resources, in 2023, Ivorians consumed 23.5 kilos of fish per capita, compared to some 12 kilos of meat.
The country currently can’t keep up with demand. In 2023, Côte d’Ivoire produced 92 000 tonnes of fish, but consumed around 534 000 tonnes, having to import the difference.
To fill this gap and reduce dependency on imports, the government has made aquaculture a national priority, aiming to increase production from 8 467 tonnes in 2023 to 500 000 tonnes a year by 2030.
In comes Diakité Salimata, a 59-year-old fish farmer.
Despite being a traditionally male profession, aquaculture is Salimata’s passion.
“They say aquaculture is for men, but the more they say something is for men, the more I like that thing,” comments Salimata, adding that her 31-year-old daughter has joined her in the activity.
She and her family raise tilapia in four ponds on land she inherited from her father in the Indénié-Djuablin region of the country. The farm also includes cocoa and palm trees as well as chickens, sheep and cows.
FAO’s FISH4ACP project is working with Salimata and other fish farmers to increase the country’s production and meet domestic demand. ©FAO/Celeste Diom
Aquaculture can be rewarding economically, but you must also have a passion for it, says Salimata.
“You can feed yourself and your family with it but if you don’t love it, you will not understand how to make it work,” she explains.
This is because aquaculture requires knowledge and skills, such as calculating how much to feed the fish and how to aerate the water.
“You have to know what your water levels should be, when to lower the pipes, when to check the dikes,” says Salimata, who refined her skills through capacity building workshops offered by an initiative implemented in her area, FISH4ACP.
Her farm was selected through a competitive process as one of 10 pilots of the FISH4ACP project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the leadership of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States and with funding from the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Aiming to make the aquaculture sector more productive and sustainable, FISH4ACP works with governments to increase national production through capacity building and technical support, with pilot farms serving as models for the rest of the country.
Salimata recounts, “I learned about stocking density and how to monitor water temperature and pH levels. I also learned that you need to identify your market before stocking your pond. Because fish must be fed, and aquafeed is expensive. So, you need to be able to sell the fish as soon as they reach market size, or they will cost you even more.”
FISH4ACP also provided Salimata with technicians who cleaned her ponds and raised the height of the dikes, planting them with turf to prevent fissures and possible landslides during the rainy season.
Salimata, herself, produces up to four tonnes of tilapia per year. She sells it to women fishmongers who come to her farm, and who in turn sell it in local markets and villages.
Salimata produces up to four tonnes of tilapia per year, selling it to women fishmongers who in turn sell it in local markets and villages. Increased aquaculture production is helping ensure food security for the country’s growing population and providing a quality source of protein. ©FAO/Celeste Diom
The farm is a family affair. While she runs operations, her husband does the accounting, and her daughter is taking on more and more farm duties as her mother ages.
Salimata says she sees tilapia farming in her and her family’s future.
“For us, this is a long-term activity,” she says. “My daughter will continue it, as will her children and so on.”
Along with the other pilots, Salimata’s farm is being supported by FISH4ACP as a model that other farmers can replicate, in support of the government’s production goal of satisfying domestic demand, ensuring food security for its growing population and avoiding expensive imports.
“The idea behind FISH4ACP is to showcase a new generation of fish farmers, which can be seen in Salimata and the others. They have will; they have vision. They are also aware of the needs of the country,” says Foungnigué Djire, FAO’s FISH4ACP project lead in Côte d’Ivoire.
“When I look at my work, I feel proud. It allows me to provide for my family,” Salimata concludes.
Related links
Learn more
- Website: FAO fisheries and aquaculture
- Publication: FAO Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture (GSA)
- Photos: FAO Media Hub