Lake Aquaculture Partnership Forum
Fostering Collaboration for Sustainable Lake region Aquaculture
COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP
April2024
The Lake Aquaculture Partnership Forum (LAP Forum) is a platform for collaboration among aquaculture stakeholders across Kenya’s Lake region. It provides a framework for the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and best practices for the sustainable development of the sector. It also facilitates structured and inclusive dialogue between private and public stakeholders on legislation, policy and other cross cutting issues requiring collective thinking and action.
INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE
The agenda of the LAP Form is driven by an Advisory Council (in formation) comprised of representatives from diverse aquaculture stakeholder groups. These groups include, but are not limited to:
• Fish farmers;
• Input suppliers;
• Research & academic institutions;
• NGOs and Investors in the sector;
• Environmentalists;
• Fisheries associations;
• Beach management units (BMUs)
• State Department of Blue Economy;
• Lake region county governments;
Management of the LAP Forum, including communication, logistics and finance, is carried out by a Kisumu based secretariat hosted by Ohala Kenya Foundation.
BACKGROUND
The inspiration for the LAP Forum was sparked in April, 2024, when a diverse group of stakeholders convened in Kisumu for a half-day roundtable meeting to discuss challenges hindering the aquaculture subsector in the Lake Victoria region. The meeting brought together 30 key stakeholders representing various facets of the aquaculture industry.
Organized by Ohala Kenya, the roundtable meeting focused on the question: Why is aquaculture NOT the economic driver of the Lake region? Participants discussed the myriad of challenges facing the Lake region’s aquaculture industry, including environmental sustainability, regulatory complexities, high input costs, poor communication, market access issues and the absence of a framework for stakeholder collaboration. Ultimately, a unanimous resolution was reached on the need to establish a mechanism for dialogue, networking and collaborative action within the sector.