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Tilapia farmers in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region want the government to establish a tilapia feed manufacturing factory and a fish processing plant as the district’s share of the One -District-One Factory policy.


The tilapia farmers say they believe the tilapia feed factory will boost aquaculture business, which is the main economic venture in the district due to the presence of the Volta Lake.

It is estimated that the Asuogyaman District produces about 60% of tilapia consumed in the country but the current exorbitant price of tilapia feed is crippling the already capital-intensive business.

The youth in the area say they believe if tilapia feeds are produced locally in the community, the price of the fish would be affordable.

They said the provision of a cold store would help remedy the storage challenges currently facing the business in the district so that they would store their stock for sale over a long period.

Ghana is the biggest producer of tilapia in sub-Saharan Africa; however, there is still deficit in the supply chain considering the high demand in the country.

Fisheries Alliance estimates that the country consumes over 950,000 metric tons of fish annually and that it imported $135 million worth of fish in 2016 to meet the demand.

The aquaculture sector, it is estimated, provides over 50,000.00 jobs for the youth in Ghana.

However, despite the availability of the Volta Lake for aquaculture activities, the youth in the Asuogyaman District are still struggling to get jobs due to the lack of funding to tap the opportunities in aquaculture to earn a living.

The minimum capital for a commercial tilapia farm is GH¢ 10,000.00, which most of the youth cannot afford.

Assembly member for Senchi Electoral Area, Mr Issah Lawah, told the DAILY HERITAGE that due to financial challenges, the youth are not able to venture into the business.

He said the National Youth Authority (NYA) is providing little support to some of the youth in aquaculture. He, however, appealed for more government support.

Meanwhile, officials of the NYA in the Asuogyaman District say they are hopeful the implementation of the ‘Youth in Aquaculture’ project, which provides training on tilapia farms, technical, financial and business management support to the youth, would help reduce unemployment.

The Asuogyaman District Youth Leader of NYA, Mr Luyusa Akili Mohammed, told the paper that about 25 youth had benefitted from the programme.

Meanwhile, some students from Columbia, as part of an exchange programme with NYA, visited the tilapia farm at Senchi during a tour of the region to understudy the cultural dynamics in the region.