Public–private partnership innovations for aquaculture development with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa

This document indicates that sub-Saharan Africa presents investment opportunities for partnering with governments in infrastructure development, including road networks and energy supply systems, which can improve access to remote aquaculture sites and reduce production costs. Partnerships can also be established to build and/or maintain much-needed infrastructure, such as fish processing facilities, cold storage facilities and port facilities, as these facilities can improve efficiency and productivity in aquaculture. Moreover, there is a need to upgrade farming technologies through investing in more knowledge and capital-intensive production systems; PPPs can play an important role in this regard. Accessing international markets requires certification of fish and fishery products. This is yet another opportunity for PPPs to provide testing and certification services.Public–private partnerships hold great potential for enhancing the benefits of aquaculture in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the lack or weakness of regulations constitutes a bottleneck to the establishment of PPPs in aquaculture. Another significant obstacle is the existence of unclear guidelines, which can lead to uncertainties about compliance and hamper the success of partnerships. Additionally, the high costs of borrowing money, arising mainly from elevated interest rates associated with borrowing funds for PPP projects, pose a key challenge to PPPs. This issue is even more pronounced in the case of aquaculture projects because of limited knowledge among lenders and the inherent risks involved.