Name of the Project
SIDS – marine tilapia industry incubator (MTII).

Location
The project is located along the Mbhashe regional river network, in the Eastern Cape, in South Africa, with plans to expand the project along the Eastern Cape to the KwaZulu-Natal coastline.

Project Owner/s
Eastern Cape Rural Development Agency (ECRDA).

Project Description
The MTII is a Sustainable Infrastructure Development System, or SIDS, project proposed by the South African government.

The initiative aims to establish a new, sustainable and inclusive green-growth aquaculture industry along the east coast of South Africa, producing tilapia – the lowest-cost whitefish protein available – as a hedge against diminishing and unaffordable wild captured marine fish protein and other meat proteins, which have become unaffordable for the majority of consumers.

The proposed project will be completed in phases, which will all involve the establishment of fish quarantine facilities, an irrigation network and incubator infrastructure, as well as a roads network.

The project is targeting the production of 100 000 t/y of tilapia by 2032.

Potential Job Creation
About 3 900 jobs are expected to be created during construction and about 36 311 during operation along the value chain.

Capital Expenditure
Phase 1 to 4 will each receive R3.75-billion of State funding for the infrastructure and R1.37-billion from the private sector for tilapia.

Planned Start/End Date
The first phase marine cluster will be rolled out from 2020 to 2023, Phase 2 from 2024 to 2026, Phase 3 from 2026 to 2028 and Phase 4 from 2028 to 2030.

Latest Developments
None stated.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
ECRDA communication and public relations manager Noba Tembu Pako, tel +27 703 6300 or email pakon@ecrda.co.za.