Africa Fish and Aquaculture Welfare (AFIWEL) Program
Promoting Ethical and Sustainable Aquaculture in Africa
Why Fish 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 Africa Fish and Aquaculture Welfare (AFIWEL) project is a pan-African initiative that is supporting ethical, welfare-driven, safe and sustainable aquatic life and production systems across 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 fish health and welfare practices into fish production systems.
The project hosts the AFIWEL Fellowship and the upcoming AQUAWEL Conference.
AQUAWEL 2025 Conference
We will be organizing (in partnership with stakeholders) a pan-African conference on Fish Welfare titled the “Africa Aquatic Animal 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 Welfare on the African continent.
The 2025 AQUAWEL Conference countdown
AFIWEL Fellowship
The Africa Fish Welfare 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 2024/2025 cohort of AFIWEL Fellows initiative is established as a pilot programme with focus on the following countries: Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Tunisia, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and South Africa (which are 8 of the highest fish-producing countries in Africa.
Supported By
