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With the aim of starting fish export and creating 5,000 jobs for young people, the Gambella region of Ethiopia has launched a technology-assisted fisheries development project.
The project will be implemented in collaboration with the University of Gambella, which will become a center of excellence for Ethiopian fisheries development. The country’s fisheries development project will run over the next three years. The University’s fishing center will reproduce 40,000 fish a year, according to the new project.
The fisheries resources development project aims to create jobs for 5,000 young people in the Gambella region. Gambella is one of the regions of Ethiopia endowed with rivers and lakes inhabited by various varieties of fish. The Gambella region has the potential to produce 17,000 tonnes of fish. Meanwhile, at the moment the region produces less than 400 tons of fish. At the beginning of the project, it is stated that so far neither the Region nor the country are benefiting from the rich natural resources in terms of fish production.
In addition to the University of Gambella, the new project will also involve the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, and the Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia, according to information from Gambella Region communications.
The project is said based on a study conducted by the government in the last two years. The study recommended the proper utilization of the region’s fishery resources to meet the domestic demand for fish and begin exporting.
Reports show that Ethiopian waters are home to around 180 species of fish, some freshwater shrimp and crabs, commercially important microalgae, and diverse vegetation, all together of great economic and socio-cultural value.
The Rift Valley lakes such as Chamo, Abaya and Ziway lakes and the northern part of Lake Turkana) and Lake Tana, which although shallow, is the largest lake in Ethiopia; rivers and small bodies of water (reservoirs, natural ponds).
All of these bodies of water are fished, but commercial production (that is, serving markets other than local communities) is concentrated in the five lakes, with Chamo, Ziway and Tana particularly dominant, according to a document, “Fish Production , Consumption and Management in Ethiopia ”, by Assefa Mitike Janko, published in 2014.
