WorldFish and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) have teamed up to promote aquaculture in Africa, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to realise “the untapped development potential” of the continent’s aquatic systems.

The parties would join forces to implement aquatic agricultural systems such as Nepad’s Rural Futures Initiative and the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP), said Nepad CEO Dr Ibrahim Mayaki.

The success of the programme would contribute to rural transformation, economic growth, poverty reduction and food security, on the back of the diversity of the agricultural opportunities offered by aquatic systems, including fisheries and aquaculture, livestock, cereals, root crops and vegetables.

“The signing of the MoU opens a new chapter for WorldFish engagement in agricultural research on the continent. We believe that our aquatic systems can play a greater role in Africa’s food and nutrition security and economic growth,” said WorldFish Africa regional director Tabeth Chiuta.

WorldFish, on behalf of the Consultative Group International Agricultural Research, was driving a research programme aimed at developing innovative approaches to improving productivity and harnessing the potential of aquatic agricultural systems.

The programme was started in 2011 in Zambia and the Barotse floodplain to ensure agricultural and natural resources translated into increased incomes and improved food and nutrition security.

“It [the programme] is currently focusing on developing the fish and rice value chains in the area, improving agricultural productivity through farm diversification and developing a new approach to flood risk reduction,” Mayaki said.

The parties would, over the next three years, expand the programme to assist in implementing the Rural Futures Initiative and dealing with the priorities identified under the CAADP.

“This will begin with an analysis of rural poverty in aquatic systems as part of the Nepad Rural Development Atlas, and a foresight study examining the impact of emerging development and environmental trends on Africa’s aquatic systems,” Chiuta added.

These would be used to guide the future focus of the programme in Africa’s inland and coastal aquatic systems, the parties concluded.