The establishment of a network of aquaculture policy makers in Africa, was first perceived that the Fish for All Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria in 2005. Among the priority actions recommended by the Summit ’s Abuja Declaration on Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (2005) , was the need for accelerating sustainable aquaculture development on the continent coherently and within the framework of the African Union’s regional integration agenda. The need for establishing a regional network of aquaculture policy practitioners, supported by other leading government planning sectors, to accelerate the development of aquaculture development strategies and mainstreaming these into national development agenda . The Aquaculture Network for Africa (ANAF) was thus conceived benchmarking on gains for the aquaculture sector in the Asia-Pacific upon the establishment of Network of Aquaculture Centres (NACA).
Sub-Sahara’s Directors of Aquaculture subsequently re-affirmed this recommendation in the 13th Session of CIFA in 2005 . Sub-Sahara’s Directors of Aquaculture subsequently re-affirmed this recommendation in the 13th Session of the FAO Committee for Inland Fisheries for Africa (CIFA) in 2005 , thereafter renamed Committee for Inland Fisheries and Africa for Africa (CIFAA) . ANAF’s was later established based on voluntary membership among CIFAA’s members to coordinate and facilitate (i) scientific and technical information exchange in aquaculture, (ii) regional and sub-regional collaborative aquaculture research, (iii) training of fish farmers and extension workers and (iv) technology transfer between countries to accelerate sustainable aquaculture development on the continent. To achieve continental ANAF’s membership, in promote coherence in the implementation of the Policy Framework and Reform Strategy for Fisheries and Aquaculture in Africa (PFRS) and cognizant of AU Interafrican Bureau of Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) role mandated role in coordinating the management and utilization of all Africa’s animal resources, it was later recommended the ANAF Secretariat be transferred to AU-IBAR to foster the long-term commitment of AU Member States for sustainable aquaculture development. ANAF’s membership since 2018, consequently has continental coverage .