As I write this President’s Column, my heart is filled with profound gratitude to Almighty God, whose grace, wisdom, and steadfast guidance have shaped every step of this journey. I am deeply humbled by the trust and confidence members of the World Aquaculture Society have placed in me to lead this remarkable organization.

Your faith in my stewardship is both an honor and a solemn responsibility.

I am deeply honored to serve as the first African President of the World Aquaculture Society, hailing from Ayedun-Ekiti in Ekiti State, Nigeria. While this milestone is personally meaningful, it also reflects the growing contributions of aquaculture professionals, researchers, producers, students, institutions, and communities across Africa and the wider Global South. Throughout my career, I have been privileged to contribute to advances in aquaculture, fisheries, education, research, and capacity development. I view this responsibility as a continuation of that shared journey.

I pay tribute to the leaders who have guided our Society through periods of growth, transition, and challenge while advancing aquaculture worldwide. I am grateful for the encouragement and confidence of past Presidents, Fellows, Board members, chapter leaders, and colleagues across the Society. Their support reinforces my conviction that the World Aquaculture Society is well positioned to navigate the challenges of our time and emerge even stronger.

The WAS 2026 Conference in Singapore reflected the remarkable resilience, innovation, and global connectivity for which Singapore is renowned, reminding us that strong institutions can withstand adversity, adapt, and continue to advance. In the lead-up to the conference, the Society faced significant challenges, including the painful loss of George McKee, our long-serving webmaster, and disruptions stemming from broader global uncertainties. At times, questions arose about whether the conference would proceed and, if so, in what form. Against this backdrop, its successful convening was especially meaningful.

Sessions on Animal Welfare, Biosecurity, and Certification highlighted the increasingly complex interconnections among aquaculture, sustainability, economics, food security, and responsible production. The Student Writing Workshop and Student Thinkathon demonstrated the creativity and potential of our future leaders, with the winning team developing a digital water-quality monitoring system.

The Asia–Africa Aquaculture Development Partnership session brought together 58 participants from 23 countries, demonstrating both the international character of our Society and the opportunities for deeper collaboration across regions.

I commend our exhibitors and sincerely thank all delegates, sponsors, partners, volunteers, and supporters for their time, expertise, energy, and investment. I also appreciate those who have already committed to joining us at AFRAQ 2027 in Tanzania. As we celebrate the many successes of Singapore WAS 2026, we also acknowledge areas where we can improve and sincerely apologize for any shortcomings. Continuous learning and improvement remain essential if we are to serve our diverse global aquaculture community effectively.

Recent events have again demonstrated the fragility and interconnectedness of global systems. Geopolitical tensions and conflicts across several regions have exposed vulnerabilities in food supply chains, energy systems, transportation networks, and international trade. For those work ing in aquaculture and fisheries, these developments demand both reflec tion and action because aquatic food systems are deeply intertwined with broader economic, environmental, and geopolitical systems.

Aquaculture and fisheries are critical pillars of global food and nutrition security. They provide high-quality animal protein and essential micronutrients while supporting employment, income, trade, and liveli hoods for hundreds of millions of people, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. At a time when hunger, malnutrition, poverty, climate change, and economic uncertainty continue to affect communities across the world, the contribution of aquatic foods has never been more impor tant.

Aquaculture was once viewed primarily to supplement declining capture fisheries and meet growing demand for aquatic foods. Its significance now extends far beyond that role. Aquaculture has become one of humanity’s most important pathways to greater food and nutrition security. As wild fish stocks face mounting pressures from overfishing, habitat degradation, pollution, climate change, and competing demands on aquatic ecosystems, responsibly managed aquaculture offers opportunities to increase food production while supporting livelihoods, enterprise development, and national economies.

New frontiers are also emerging. Among them, seaweed farming is gaining recognition as a promising component of the global blue economy. Seaweeds have potential applications in food and nutrition, ecosystem restoration, animal feeds, biofuels, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, biomaterials, and other industries. Some forms of seaweed cultivation may also contribute to climate-related and environmental objectives.

In coastal communities across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Pacific, seaweed farming is creating livelihoods and enterprise opportunities, particularly for women and young people.

The growing interest in seaweed cultivation illustrates how aquaculture can simultaneously contribute to food production, environmental sustainability, and economic diversification. However, expansion must be guided by sound science and responsible stewardship. Potential risks of poorly managed development include the introduction of invasive species, habitat alteration, disease transmission, genetic impacts on wild populations, and unintended ecological consequences. Innovation must therefore be paired with precaution, rigorous risk assessment, appropri ate regulation, and effective environmental safeguards.

As President, my priorities are to strengthen partnerships, inclusiveness, and collaboration across regions and disciplines; expand opportunities for women and youth; advance capacity building, mentorship, research, and innovation; promote environmental stewardship and biodiversity conservation; and strengthen aquatic animal health and welfare.

These priorities are interconnected and essential to building resilient, sustainable, productive, and equitable aquatic food systems.

The first few months in office have already provided important opportunities to advance these objectives. In Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, I joined stakeholders for the Business Pitch and Demonstration Day of the Ijebu Development Initiative on Poverty Reduction (IDIPR) AquaServe Ltd. The event, organized with the involvement of FAO, FISH4ACP, ACMS Africa, and other partners and stakeholders, marked an important milestone in the development of aquaculture enterprise in Nigeria. Particularly encouraging was AquaServe Ltd’s clear articulation of its investment pathways, financial requirements, and anticipated payback period, underscoring the importance of translating aquaculture potential into viable, investable enterprises.

On 1 July 2026, I was privileged to meet Consul Christopher Bielecki, Agricultural Counselor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, at the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos to explore opportunities to strengthen agricultural and aquaculture trade and cooperation between the United States and Nigeria. Among the issues considered was the potential contribution of U.S. feed ingredients 1) to addressing critical input constraints and 2) to strengthening Nigeria’s capacity to expand domestic aquaculture production.

This engagement led to discussions about the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food for Progress project in Nigeria, an initiative aimed at expanding agricultural trade by increasing poultry and aquaculture productivity, improving access to trade finance, and reducing non-tariff barriers. I facilitated discussions among the project’s Chief of Party, the Senior Global Director for Agriculture and Food Security at Partners of the Americas, and the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, with the Permanent Secretary represented by the Directors of Fisheries and Livestock. The discussions examined opportunities and constraints affecting the competitiveness of Nigeria’s aquaculture and livestock value chains, including prospects for productive agricultural trade and greater use of relevant U.S. agricultural products.

Supporting young people and harnessing technology must remain central to this transformation. I therefore welcomed the opportunity to speak alongside keynote speaker Mark Jones, Director of Saltwork Pacific Australia/New Zealand, at the online Youth-Led Aquaculture Innovation Webinar on “Beyond Farming: Why Africa Needs Aquaculture Innovation Hubs.” The webinar provided an important platform to explore youth-led innovation, the Blue Economy, commercialization, technology, entrepreneurship, and the development of supportive aquaculture innovation ecosystems.

Another significant engagement was my role as a Technical Speaker at the Fisheries and Aquaculture Multi-Stakeholder Platform Dialogue in Abuja on 13 August 2026. My presentation, “Charting the Future of Nigeria’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chain: From Current Realities to Investment Readiness,” outlined the conditions required to translate the sector’s considerable potential into credible investment opportunities. Supported by FAO through the FISH4ACP program and facilitated by Sahel Consulting, the dialogue was convened under the theme “Building Partnerships to Unlock Investment Opportunities in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chain.” The discussions reinforced an important principle: sustainable growth will depend on partnerships that connect producers, researchers, governments, financial institutions, development partners, technology providers, markets, and investors.

I was also pleased to contribute to the 1st International Conference on Smart Fisheries and Aquaculture (SFA2026), convened by China Agricultural University in Beijing, China, with support from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Although I was unable to attend in person, I am particularly grateful to Dr. Mwenda Mbaka, who represented me and delivered the invited presentation, “Digital Innovation and Smart Empowerment: Building a Shared Future for Global Fisheries and Aquaculture through Smart Institutions and Global Partnerships.” The central message was that the future of fisheries and aquaculture will not be secured by technology alone. Digital innovation must be matched by strong institutions, skilled and empowered people, responsible stewardship, and meaningful international partnerships. I congratulate China Agricultural University, the National Innovation Center for Digital Fishery, FAO, the conference organizers, and all participating institutions and experts for creating this important international platform.

These engagements reflect a broader direction for the World Aquaculture Society. The future of aquaculture will depend not only on technology, infrastructure, or investment but, fundamentally, on people and institutions. We must invest in research, nurture talent, strengthen mentorship, build effective institutions, and create meaningful opportunities for the next generation of scientists, entrepreneurs, producers, professionals, and leaders. The diversity, expertise, networks, and global reach of WAS uniquely position the Society to support this transformation.

I look forward to a fulfilling year of service, defined by collaboration, innovation, inclusion, and measurable progress, drawing on the wisdom and support of our past Presidents, Fellows, Board members, chapter leaders, researchers, producers, investors, development partners, students, and the broader aquaculture community. Together, we can strengthen the World Aquaculture Society, advance responsible and sustainable aquaculture, and make a meaningful contribution to global food and nutrition security, environmental stewardship, resilient livelihoods, and shared prosperity.

The opportunities before us are considerable, as are the challenges.

With shared purpose, strong partnerships, sound science, responsible stewardship, and confidence in our global aquaculture community's capacity, the future is bright. Together, we shall rise to meet it.

— Foluke O. Areola, President