Understanding the key drivers of the blue economy and regional development presents a strategic opportunity for enhanced security and sustainable growth in Kenya, particularly in the Lake Victoria Basin. This region, home to more than 10 million Kenyans, is endowed with vast aquatic resources and holds immense potential for an ecosystem-based approach to aquaculture expansion. Such an approach can significantly enhance food security, improve nutrition, catalyze economic development, and promote security and environmental sustainability.
By fostering regional development through improved infrastructure, market access, and local capacity building, aquaculture can generate employment, alleviate poverty, and reduce resource-based conflicts. Integrating this approach with Kenya’s national security priorities ensures that the region’s stability and prosperity are safeguarded, mitigating the risks of illegal fishing, environmental degradation, and cross-border tensions.
This paper explores the interconnected pathways through which aquaculture can be leveraged to advance regional development in the Lake Victoria catchment area while contributing to Kenya’s broader national security objectives. It emphasizes the promotion of aquaculture through Integrated Technology Transfer Centres (ITTC) of the Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA), which provide a platform for transferring technologies to fish farming communities, access to certified high-quality fish fingerlings at subsidized rates, and collaboration with other institutions, including security agencies.