Uganda and Zambia are two of the largest aquaculture producers in sub–Saharan Africa with remarkable growth attributed to a private sector led industry. However, current aquaculture production does not meet the national and regional demand for food fish. Moreover, there is a widening gap between small scale and large-scale producers, resulting in unequal distribution of benefits within the sector. Governance is a pivotal transformer for aquaculture’s growth but there is limited information on Africa’s landscape. Therefore, this study assessed the political, institutional, collaborative arrangements /partnerships, and regulatory dimensions that have contributed to the transformation of Uganda and Zambia’s Aquaculture sector using Aquaculture Governance Indicators (AGI) framework.
Preliminary analysis revealed that Uganda has strong legislative framework covering major industry and environmental issue areas including effects of aquaculture effluent on the environment, habitat, chemical use, source of stock disease and escapees. However, it needs to be; i) strengthened at National and local levels ii) efficiently coordinated and enforced, and iii) extension support strengthened to increase compliance for small scale farmers. In the case of Zambia, the legislation is currently being revised to include aspects of aquaculture however, there is the National Fisheries and Aquaculture policy and implementation plan that address key industry and environmental issues like disease, climate change and environmental degradation. The use of market-based governance mechanisms such as private standards is limited and generally perceived to be applicable to large scale commercial farms targeting international export of farmed fish. The key collaborative processes vary and include industry-led (Commercial Fish Farmers Associations), multistakeholder platforms or donor funded projects implemented by government ministries or research institutions in collaboration with market and civil society actors. Governance and partnership arrangements are deemed very relevant to address the main industry issue areas. However, there is need to: i) enhance the visibility of their deliberative processes, ii) strengthen coordination and learning processes within and between collaborative arrangements. This study provides insights to foster learning, better understanding of the challenges within the sector and a starting point for engagement among different stakeholders around identified gaps to ensure sustainable development.