Keypoints:
- Blue foods sector could add $17bn GDP
- Up to 3.3m jobs projected across value chain
- Innovation and partnerships key to growth
AFRICA could generate up to $17bn in additional economic output and create as many as 3.3 million jobs by expanding its production of aquatic foods, according to a new report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
The report, Investing in Blue Foods: Innovation and Partnerships for Impact, examines how targeted investment, innovation and coordinated partnerships could transform one of the continent’s most underdeveloped food sectors into a major engine of inclusive economic growth.
Blue foods — including fish, shellfish, crustaceans and aquatic plants — are increasingly viewed as critical to addressing Africa’s rising food demand while supporting employment and sustainable development.
Closing Africa’s protein gap
According to the study, doubling Africa’s blue foods production could reduce the continent’s protein gap with the rest of the world by roughly one quarter. Researchers warn that without strategic intervention, Africa risks becoming the only region globally where per capita consumption of aquatic foods declines by 2032, as population growth outpaces production expansion.
Africa currently produces about 13.1 million tonnes of blue foods annually, yet structural inefficiencies limit the sector’s impact. Up to one-third of output is lost after harvest due to inadequate storage, processing and transport infrastructure. Production costs are also elevated, with feed accounting for between 70 and 80 percent of total expenses — significantly higher than the global average of roughly 60 percent.
Disease outbreaks further threaten productivity, sometimes wiping out entire harvests and discouraging investment.
Tolu Oyekan, managing director and partner at BCG and head of BCG West Africa, said the continent already possesses the foundations required for rapid expansion.
‘Africa has the resources, talent and demand to expand its blue foods sector,’ Oyekan said in the report. ‘But fragmented value chains and underinvestment continue to constrain growth.’
Innovation identified as key growth driver
The report highlights innovation across five areas as essential to unlocking productivity, sustainability and value creation.
In production inputs, alternative feed solutions such as black soldier fly larvae and methane-fermented protein could reduce dependence on costly imports. Pilot initiatives in Ghana are converting organic waste into protein-rich aquafeed and fertiliser, while improved hatcheries and oral vaccines in Egypt and Kenya are helping farmers reduce disease losses.
Technology adoption is also reshaping production. Artificial intelligence tools enabling real-time fish monitoring and precision feeding are helping smallholder farmers reduce waste and improve survival rates. Live diagnostic systems used in South Africa are preventing disease outbreaks, while enhanced hatchery models have increased fingerling survival by between 30 and 50 percent in comparable markets.
Processing innovations are improving product quality and shelf life. Affordable solar dryers deployed in Uganda are reducing spoilage, while AI-based grading systems in Morocco and Nigeria are helping processors — many of them women-led enterprises — access higher-value markets.
Strengthening supply chains and reducing waste
Weak logistics and cold-chain infrastructure remain major bottlenecks. The report points to solar-powered cold rooms operating in Nigeria and digital logistics coordination platforms emerging in East Africa as examples of solutions reducing losses and improving access to premium markets.
Circular economy approaches are also gaining traction. In Ghana, insect-based waste
conversion is creating new value streams, while smart fishing gear recovery systems along West African coastlines aim to reduce pollution and resource loss.
Tania Strauss, a member of the World Economic Forum’s executive committee, highlighted collaborative initiatives such as Ghana’s Blue Food Innovation Hub, which brings together government, academia, private companies and civil society to coordinate research and innovation.
Policy alignment and partnerships essential
The WEF and BCG stress that scaling the sector will require coordinated policy frameworks, financing tools and partnerships capable of attracting long-term capital.
Lessons from countries including Indonesia, China and New Zealand demonstrate that transformation becomes achievable when innovation ecosystems align with supportive regulation and investment flows.
Oyekan said governments must reposition blue foods as core economic infrastructure rather than a niche agricultural activity.
‘To realise the full potential of Africa’s blue food economy, we must embed blue foods into national food strategies and invest in logistics, cold chains and private-sector partnerships,’ he said.
The report concludes that expanding Africa’s blue foods economy could simultaneously address food insecurity, job creation and sustainable growth challenges across the continent.
