In line with the National Strategy for Transformation 2 (NST2, 2024-2029 ), Rwanda has drawn up a National Aquaculture Strategy for Rwanda (NASR) that contributes towards achieving better standards of living and improved nutrition conditions for the population of 14M (in 2023), which increasing at over 2.3% per year.

To support this Strategy to realise the unmet potential for pond-based aquaculture, the Belgian development agency, Enabel, Government of Luxembourg through LuxDev, and the European Union have funded the Kwihaza (Transformation Towards Sustainable Food Systems) project to be implemented from 2023 to 2026.

In order to increase the production of fish in Rwanda, Kwihaza project introduced a Master Training Program on Best Aquaculture Practices aiming at empowering smallholder farmers especially youth and women with hands-on and practical skills. At first glance, the project started with 19 Model Farms, each having three facilitators that were trained and coached. In the past three months of ToTs, the 57 facilitators extended the training to other 1,140 pond farmers. This capacity development will be delivered in a period of 15 months by ThinkAqua-a UK-based NGO specialising in sustainable aquaculture value chain development in partnership with Rwanda Agriculture Board (RAB) and RARICO, a cooperative tasked of extension service delivery in this project.

Impressive fish growth rate: Success story 

On 22nd August, 2024, during the joint monitoring by Enabel, Rwanda Agriculture Board, RARICO and THINKAQUA, the team noticed a good project progress in terms of fish  growth rate. Fish in the KIUM, a 28-member cooperative, selected as model pond farm located in Nyamagabe district, Southern Province of Rwanda have surged from 1g to 20g average in just 2.5 months. Top growers known as to have a very high growth rate, weighing 45g and above, are now graded and transferred to separate grow-out ponds.

In the past 3 months, this cooperative, among others, have received training and coaching sessions about Best Aquaculture Practices, namely pond preparation, fish stocking, fish feeding and stock management.