LUYAH AFIWEL Fellowship

2026 COHORT NOW ACTIVE

AFIWEL Fellowship

Empowering the Next Generation of Leaders in Ethical and Sustainable Aquaculture

About the AFIWEL Fellowship

The AFIWEL Fellowship is a pioneering pan-African capacity building, community strengthening, and field implementation program designed for professionals with expertise in fisheries, aquaculture, and aquatic animal health. The Fellowship is an integral part of the broader Africa Fish and Aquaculture Welfare (AFIWEL) Program, led by One Health and Development Initiative (OHDI).

The Fellowship was established to cultivate a network of national champions and advocates for fish welfare, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience needed to drive sustainable, welfare-aligned aquaculture practices across the continent.

The 2025 Pilot Cohort

The 2025 AFIWEL Fellowship, running from January to December 2025, represents the inaugural and pilot cohort of this transformative initiative. The first cohort comprises Fellows from eight of Africa's leading fish-producing countries: Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia

KEY OBJECTIVES

Capacity Building

Build the capacity of fisheries and aquaculture professionals on global best practices in Fish and Aquatic Animal Welfare, adapted for African contexts.

Skill Implementation

Enhance Fellows’ knowledge, leadership, and technical skills in designing and implementing fish welfare interventions. This includes developing and adapting training guides, conducting stakeholder and farmer trainings, fostering community engagement, undertaking research, and leading policy advocacy efforts.

Regional Integration

Support Fellows in implementing country-specific activities that integrate welfare-compliant practices into existing aquaculture systems, while contributing to the broader discourse on farmed animal welfare and sustainability in Africa.

Through the Fellowship, participants engage in a blend of structured learning, mentorship, and hands-on implementation of fish welfare projects in their respective countries. Fellows are empowered to apply their expertise to:

Conduct country-level research and stakeholder mapping
Develop and deliver fish welfare training and advocacy
Lead community and media engagement
Drive policy advocacy and integration of fish welfare standards
Contribute to the development of the AFIWEL SAFE ethical aquaculture model

The project also hosts the AFIWEL Fellowship and the bi-annual AQUAWEL Conference

The AFIWEL Fellowship is not just a training program, it is a movement-building initiative creating a critical mass of skilled professionals who will shape the future of ethical, sustainable, and welfare-driven aquaculture in Africa.
For more information, visit www.afiwel.com or contact afiwelprogram@onehealthdev.org

About the AFIWEL Fellowship

The Africa Fish Welfare (AFIWEL) Fellowship is a pan-African capacity building, community building and field implementation program for professionals with skills and expertise in fisheries and aquaculture. The program is achieving the following key objectives:

Train and build the capacity of Fisheries and Aquaculture professionals on basic global best practices of Fish Welfare.
Improve their knowledge, and skills in implementing fish welfare interventions, including the development and adaptation of training guides, stakeholder training, community building and engagement, research and policy advocacy.
Support Fellows to implement country-based activities to integrate fish welfare practices into existing fish production systems and include fish welfare into the larger sphere of farmed animal welfare priorities.

The 2025 cohort of AFIWEL Fellows serves as the pilot with Fellows selected and drawn from the following countries: Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Tunisia, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi, and South Africa (8 of the highest fish-producing countries in Africa). The AFIWEL Fellows are participating in hands-on learning experiences on fish welfare and applying their knowledge of the progress, management, and execution of fish welfare initiatives and projects in their home countries.