2025 Biennial Pan-African Event
AQUAWEL Conference
A premier gathering of experts, researchers, government and industry stakeholders to discuss the future of ethical and sustainable fish and aquaculture in Africa.
About the AQUAWEL Conference
Africa’s aquaculture sector continues to grow rapidly, driven by a rising population, increasing demand for nutritious food, expanding trade, and the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods. For example, the continent currently produces over 5.2 million tons of fish annually (FAO, 2022), providing employment for more than 6.2 million people (Adeleke et al., 2020).
Yet, despite this growth, fish and aquatic animal welfare remains one of the least prioritized areas within the context of sustainable aquaculture frameworks and the farmed animal welfare space in Africa.
Knowledge, understanding, and practical implementation of aquatic animal welfare principles among stakeholders remain limited. This has resulted in poorly integrated fish and aquatic animal production systems, weak legal frameworks, and inadequate recognition of the importance of welfare and ethical production and its linkage to the One Health approach. Consequently, billions of farmed fish and aquatic animals continue to suffer from preventable stress, poor health, and suboptimal farming conditions; with additional flow-through impact on quality of aquatic products and sustainable livelihoods.
“The conference serves as a platform for cross-sectoral collaboration, dialogue, knowledge sharing, and movement-building, fostering strategic interventions and evidence-based actions.”
Recognizing this critical gap, the AFIWEL Program established the Africa Aquatic Animal Welfare (AQUAWEL) Conference, a bi-annual, pan-African conference dedicated to advancing aquatic animal welfare on the continent and its integration into relevant sustainable aquaculture frameworks. The conference serves as a platform for cross-sectoral collaboration, dialogue, knowledge sharing, and movement-building, fostering strategic interventions and evidence-based actions among diverse stakeholders.
Conference Objectives
The AQUAWEL Conference is designed to:
Best Practices
Promote discourse on global best practices in fish and aquatic animal Welfare, tailored for the African context.
Afrocentric Research
Share emerging Afrocentric research, evidence, and knowledge on welfare practices and implementation.
Production Gaps
Identify the opportunities, gaps, and challenges in integrating fish and aquatic animal welfare into Africa’s aquaculture production systems.
One Health Paradigm
Explore the impact of welfare and ethical aquaculture production on the One Health paradigm in Africa.
Scaling Collaboration
Foster cross-sectoral, local, and international collaborations for the development and scaling of fish and aquatic animal welfare interventions.
2025 Inaugural AQUAWEL Conference: A Historic Milestone
The first-ever AQUAWEL Conference was held virtually from July 17 – 18, 2025, marking a historic milestone for aquatic animal welfare advocacy in Africa. The event attracted over 660 registered participants from 44 countries, including representatives from the national governments, regional inter-governmental organizations, academia, the private sector, civil society, and international development organizations.
660+
Participants
44
Countries
Key highlights of the 2025 conference included:
Continental Dialogue
Launch of Africa’s first continental dialogue on fish welfare.
Pioneering Research
Presentations of pioneering research and case studies from across Africa.
Policy Dialogues
High-level policy dialogues linking fish welfare to One Health, sustainability, and food security.
Network Growth
Strengthened networks and collaborations between researchers, policymakers, farmers, and advocates.
Looking Ahead: AQUAWEL 2027
Preparations for the 2027 AQUAWEL Conference are already underway. The next edition promises to build on the successes of 2025, with expanded participation, deeper policy engagement, and more dynamic knowledge exchange platforms. Further information on AQUAWEL 2027 will be available soon. Stay connected via www.afiwel.com for updates.