African Chapter President's Column March 2025
Welcome to the exciting year 2025! At WAS-AC, we aim to carry forward the energy, enthusiasm, wisdom, and progress that have defined us in previous years and to build upon them in this new year.
I am pleased to share that Aller-Aqua has renewed its sponsorship of WAS-AC for another three years until 2027. We again join Aller-Aqua in the slogan, “Let’s grow together!” As always, Aller-Aqua is expected at our World Aquaculture Safari Conference 2025 and other regional platforms this year. Thank you, Aller Aqua, for your role in aquaculture development in Africa!
The Chapter’s membership has grown rapidly, from fewer than 400 members in 2018 to over 1,300 today. This impressive growth is due to WAS’s complimentary membership packages for students and small-scale aquaculture practitioners from Africa. Our focus as a society is to meet the needs and aspirations of these membership categories, which are vital for the future of fisheries and aquaculture development in Africa.
2025 will be especially significant for WAS-AC as we host a global conference in Africa for the second time—the World Aquaculture Safari 2025 (WA25) in Entebbe, Uganda, from June 24 to 27, 2025. We expect attendance to exceed 2,000 participants with a program packed with exciting sessions, features, and over 120 exhibition stands. Make sure you don’t miss this event! Register now, as there will be something for everyone at WA25 in Uganda!
I extend my gratitude to many of our collaborators and partners who have already committed to participate in this event. Special thanks go to the GIZ, the World Bank, WISHH, Aquagroup Feeds, the African Union, and Aller-Aqua for signing conference sponsorship agreements, along with many others who are yet to do so.
Lastly, I wish to introduce the incoming WAS-AC Executive Board Members who were inaugurated in Tunisia during AFRAQ24: Dr. Francisca Delgado - Secretary (Angola), Dr. Judith Makombu - Regional Director (Central Africa), Cameroon, and Ms. Alushe Hitula - Regional Director (Southern Africa), Namibia.
Our gratitude to Dr. Festus Idowu Adeosun from Nigeria for his service as Secretary of the Chapter from 2022 until the end of 2024. I always salute the roles of my executive board, committee members, and staff, who continue to work tirelessly, with agility and enthusiasm, to address various chapter business elements.
I have participated in the just-ended Aquaculture 2025 in New Orleans, USA. I look forward to sharing with you my experiences in my next column. Otherwise, I look forward to meeting many of you at the upcoming World Aquaculture Safari 2025 in Entebbe, Uganda. Please continue to visit our website www.was.org for new developments and updates. — Foluke O. Areola, President