SoCal Aquaponics Team Blog

Sub Sahara Africa is still behind and struggling. With the advancement of technology from newly Industrialized Countries or Big Emerging Markets such as Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland, South Korea and Turkey, why can't Developing Countries in Sub Sahara Africa just take note? Seriously, what is the problem? GREED I say! That is all that is. There is a huge disconnect with Africans in Diaspora and Africans on the Continent.

In my opinion, African Governments do not, or should I say, African Governments totally ignore the call of change. Yes, Obama talks about change a lot in his stump speeches, but even before he came a long, Africans in Diaspora have been singing that tune to beat of the drum for decades, even before I was born. If you want to know where Africa's Middle Class is, they have been exported out of the continent to Countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France and the rest of the lot.

If African Aquaponics and aquaculture programs is to make substantial and much needed contributions to the continent's development, government policy should attempt to facilitate the alleviation of key constraints and rely more heavily on commercial investments to lead future growth.
Evidence to date indicates that a pragmatic business approach focusing on small and medium-scale private enterprises would produce more benefits for more people than centrally planned and government led development projects.

Key constraints to broader growth include lack of good quality seed, feed and technical advice; poor market infrastructure and access; and weak policies that, rather than accelerate, impede expansion, largely by emphasizing central planning over private sector initiative.

Hampered by ineffective institutional arrangements and donor-driven projects, the substantial gains in desperately needed food security and economic growth predicted by development agencies have generally not been achieved.

Nevertheless, African aquaculture has demonstrated its competitiveness, producing fishes that feed low on the food chain in a range of well-adapted, environmentally friendly and profitable farming systems that meet the needs of a broad spectrum of user-groups.

This article is coutesy of http://www.thefishsite.com/fishnews/7683/african-aquaculture-the-way-ahead