Aquaculture is being positioned by governments and industry as a harbinger of improving food security and increasing economic growth for African countries and the continent. While having adequate financial investment and capacity development is important, we argue that establishing sound institutions, regulatory frameworks, voluntary codes and standards, and effective coordination/cooperation are systemic drivers for developing the sector in a direction that is good for people and the planet. In other words, governance arrangements provide both context and the means for fostering environmentally-sound aquaculture practices and socially equitable value chains. It is widely recognized that aquaculture is a highly diverse sector, in terms of species, scale, production systems, and impacts – and aquaculture governance also does not come in an “one-size-fits-all” package. Systematically assessing aquaculture governance of different countries allows a deeper understanding and allows comparisons between countries and species to identify differences and similarities. This opens opportunities to share lessons about sustainable and inclusive growth and to avoid repeating past mistakes made in other countries and on other continents. To this end, we present the Aquaculture Governance Indicators (AGIs) framework and its implementation through assessments in a diverse set of countries and for various aquaculture species.

In this Special Session at the WAS Africa 2023 conference in Lusaka, we explore the dynamics and diversity of aquaculture governance by presenting our work in Uganda, Nigeria, and Senegal, and by drawing on lessons from aquaculture governance from countries like Chile. In the first part, we will present what the AGIs are and what they do in helping us to see and understand aquaculture governance. In the second part we invite the audience to actively join us in comparing insights, and coming together towards a better understanding of the ways in which governance enables, as well as how it may constrain, sustainable aquaculture development across Africa.

Contributors to this Special Session:
Hilde Toonen , Furqan Asif, Sandra Langi, John Walakira, Rolando Ibarra
INTRODUCING THE AQUACULTURE GOVERNANCE INDICATORS (AGIs)

Sandra Langi , John Walakira, Hilde Toonen
UNDERSTANDING THE AQUACULTURE GOVERNANCE LANDSCAPE IN UGANDA: A
PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT USING THE AQUACULTURE GOVERNANCE INDICATORS
(AGIS)

John Walakira , Director of Research at National Agricultural Research Organization, Uganda;
President World Aquaculture Society, Africa Chapter.

Furqan Asif , Assistant Professor, Aalborg University, Denmark.

Rolando Ibarra , Senior Fellow on Aquaculture Sustainability at Monterey Bay Aquarium,
US/Chile.