Globally, aquaculture is one of the fastest growing food producing sectors, and a major source of the economy. However, most African countries have not benefited from the opportunities available in this sector. This is also the case with SADC countries. Subsequently, SADC developed a Regional Aquaculture Strategy and Action Plan to assist Member States to leverage the value and benefits of this sector. The basic methodology followed in the development of this strategy involved literature review of both published and grey literature, interviews with various stakeholders, and consultations with key informants.
Several key documents were synthesized to provide the legislative framework for the development of this strategy. Globally, the FAO’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries forms the foundation for aquaculture development, while the SADC Protocol on Fisheries forms the foundation of aquaculture development at the regional level. Currently, the only fisheries centric legislation in Botswana are the Fish Protection Act of 1975 and the Fish Protection Regulations of 2016 which however, focus more on management of wild capture fisheries than on aquaculture. Apart from these, Botswana does not have either a national fisheries or aquaculture policy. The absence of a policy framework, and an arid climate, has resulted in low growth of the aquaculture sector in Botswana. However, despite these challenges, there have been several developments in the sector which suggest that there are still opportunities for aquaculture growth in the country. These include among others, the presence of one large commercial operation, a national hatchery, permanent water bodies in northern Botswana and several dams in south-eastern Botswana. Moreover, the identified weaknesses are challenges that can be addressed through development of robust action plans, while threats can be addressed through proactive regional and international bi-lateral engagements and planning. Through assessing the level of alignment of the national aquaculture strategies/plans/programmes of Botswana with the SADC Regional Aquaculture Strategy and Action Plan; aligning and mainstreaming the regional strategy; an aligned aquaculture strategy has been developed for Botswana.
A resource mobilization (RM) strategy provides an “essential roadmap” detailing how resources should be leveraged to meet the resource require ments of an organization. This resource mobilization strategy was developed as part of the implementation of the Botswana aquaculture strategy (2021-2026). A total of 139 Million BWP (10.3 Million US$) is required for the implementation of this aquaculture strategy for 5 years.