With an estimated 15 million hectares of water, or 4.5% of all inland water in Africa, Zambia is a landlocked nation in the southern part of Africa. Zambia’s fisheries play a significant role in rural development by creating jobs, generating revenue, and reducing poverty. The country is the largest producer of farmed fish in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and among the top producers of aquaculture in sub-Saharan Africa. According to projections, Zambia’s population will increase from its current estimated 19 million to 24 million by 2030. To meet the projected demand for aquatic products, an additional 71,591 tonnes of fish will be needed, reflecting the ongoing demand for fish. Fish output in Zambia has not kept up with the required rate of growth to fulfil the increasing demand; the country’s per capita domestic supply is presently just about 8 kg, significantly less than the global average of 20 kg.
Aquaculture is considered by the Zambian government and a number of organisations as a viable and promising way to address the country’s fish deficit. In order to increase productivity and production, three regional endemic fish species were approved for improvement at the 2017 Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Council of Ministers of Agriculture and Aquaculture meeting in Eswatini. and this spurred the development of the Oreochromis andersonii Genetic Improvement Program (GIP) in Zambia. Zambia launched the GIP through the implementation of the Zambia Aquaculture Enterprise Development Project (ZAEDP), a government initiative with a major focus on the O. andersonii genetic improvement program. The SADC Secretariat initiated the regional PROFISHBLUE Project in 2022, which builds on the GIP effort started by ZAEDP and includes a genetic improvement component. As the GIP’s technical consultant, WorldFish has been able to create a base population and subsequently selected generations that will serve as the foundation for the breeding program’s future expansion, thereby taking a significant step towards the actual formation of a national GIP.
Reviewing Zambia’s GIP’s present status, prospects, and challenges while deriving some lessons from the program’s execution was the study’s main aim. The review details the GIP’s accomplishments as well as the opportunities that exist to promote further development of the GIP, which might lead to a major expansion of Zambia’s aquaculture sector. Nevertheless, there have been difficulties with the program’s implementation. Nevertheless, great potential still exists to further develop the GIP and potentially meet the ever-growing demand for improved germplasm.