Africa Fish and Aquaculture Welfare (AFIWEL) Program
Advancing welfare-driven, safe, and sustainable aquaculture practices in Africa.
Why Fish and Aquaculture Welfare Matters
Sentience & Compassion
Fish and other farmed aquatic animals are sentient beings capable of feeling pain, stress, and discomfort.
Food Security with Integrity
Healthy aquatic populations are critical for food security, especially as Africa’s demand for nutritious, responsibly-sourced food grows.
Sustainable Stewardship
Ethical fish farming isn’t just about production; it’s about preserving aquatic health, ensuring ecosystem balance, and safeguarding the natural habitats that sustain life.
Economic Growth with Responsibility
Investing in robust, welfare-focused aquaculture systems improve trade relations, drives market expansion, and sustains livelihoods
About Us
The AFIWEL Program is a pan-African initiative that is supporting ethical, welfare-driven, safe and sustainable fish and aquaculture production systems in Africa. The project is a scale-up of our previous successful pilot activities in Nigeria to research and establish a framework for education, capacity building and implementation of good management and welfare practices into fish and aquaculture production systems.
The project hosts the AFIWEL Fellowship and the upcoming AQUAWEL Conference.
AQUAWEL 2025 Conference
We are organizing a pan-African conference titled the “Africa Aquatic Welfare Welfare (AQUAWEL) Conference”. The AQUAWEL Conference will assemble stakeholders in Fisheries, Aquaculture, and related sectors to promote discourse, share knowledge and research, and foster cross-sectoral, local and international collaboration on evidence-based interventions on Fish and Aquaculture Welfare on the African continent.
The 2025 AQUAWEL Conference countdown
AFIWEL Fellowship
The Africa Fish Welfare (AFIWEL) Fellowship is a 6-month pan-African capacity building, community building and field implementation program for professionals with skills and expertise in fisheries and aquaculture.
The 2025 cohort of AFIWEL Fellows were selected and have representation across the following countries: Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Tunisia, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and South Africa (which are 8 of the highest fish-producing countries in Africa).
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