The Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO), of the East African Community (EAC), in partnership with Landell Mills, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and WorldFish is implementing the EU EAC True Fish Farming Story in the Lake Victoria Basin (TRUEFISH) Project. The TRUEFISH project is a significant initiative funded by the European Commission with €10.15 million under the 11th EDF. It benefits the East African community in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania over five years, with additional benefits for Burundi and Rwanda in the area of Aquatic Animal Health. The project’s goal is to foster competitive, gender-equitable, and sustainable commercial aquaculture in the Lake Victoria basin. It aims to overcome key challenges faced by investors, such as a lack of technically skilled operators, insufficient investment finance, and incomplete networks, while addressing potential threats to sustainable aquaculture development. Key stakeholders, including the aquaculture private sector, TVET institutions, the National fisheries research institutions and national competent authorities.
Currently, the project is at the extension phase. It has facilitated farmers from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania to conduct study tours to Egypt, Malaysia, Nigeria, Philippines and China where they were exposed to new ideas, technologies, and best practices in aquaculture. The project has organized conferences both online and physical and developed a standardized business plan for Tilapia and Catfish to help fish farmers present credible, bankable business plans and interact more effectively with financial institutions. The project has also worked towards unifying the aquaculture sector by creating a regional aquaculture association. Furthermore, short and long courses have been developed to train aquaculture farmers, students and training of trainers. The Lake Victoria Regional Aquatic Animal Health Strategy has been developed, and spatial planning is underway for the Lake Victoria Zoning for Cage Aquaculture. A study was carried out to assess the genetic diversity of tilapia populations across the Lake Victoria Basin and provided key scientific recommendations for sustainable management of biodiversity in the region. The project has facilitated capacity building to a broader EAC community in various disciplines including fish farming technics, spatial planning for sustainable aquaculture, aquatic health and biosecurity, molecular genetics and bioinformatics. The project is organizing the World Aquaculture Conference in Uganda in June 2025 in collaboration with the World Aquaculture Society.
The EU-TRUEFISH project has catalysed sustainable aquaculture development in the Lake Victoria Basin by addressing barriers in business, skills, and sustainability. Through capacity building, policy harmonization, and regional collaboration, it has strengthened livelihoods and biodiversity. Initiatives like the World Aquaculture Safari’25 aims to position East Africa as a global aquaculture hub.