Harare Profishblue Talks Cast A Wider Net For Small-Scale Fishers
In a quiet corner of Harare’s Workington industrial area, workers at the Zimbabwe Fish Producers Association cold-chain facility are loading trays of bream into a refrigerated truck. The fish will travel hundreds of kilometres before reaching dinner tables — and, if Southern Africa’s new Blue Economy push succeeds, many more small-scale farmers and traders will share in the value of that journey.
Just a few kilometres away, at a city hotel on 21 May 2026, fisheries and aquaculture experts from across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) opened a two-day meeting of the Programme for Improving Fisheries Governance and Blue Economy Trade Corridors in the Southern African Region, better known as PROFISHBLUE. Their task: to tighten regional fisheries governance, grow intra-regional fish trade, and make the Blue Economy work for communities, not just big fleets.
The Project Technical Committee (PTC-08) brings together Government officials, development partners, fisheries scientists, and private sector players from 16 SADC member states. The meeting runs until Friday, when delegates will visit the cold-chain facility in Harare to see how new investments are beginning to filter down to Zimbabwean producers.
Why Profishblue Matters For The Blue Economy
Opening discussions ahead of the meeting, PROFISHBLUE project coordinator Dr Alexander Shula Kefi framed the programme as a bridge between high-level policy and day-to-day realities on the water and at the market.
“This programme aligns very well with the SADC Fisheries Protocol, which came into force in 2001,” said Dr Kefi, linking the current work to the regional legal instrument that guides cooperation on shared aquatic resources.
FFA Explainer:
Blue Economy refers to the sustainable use of ocean, lake, and river resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs, while preserving the health of aquatic ecosystems. For Southern Africa, it covers inland fisheries, aquaculture, transport, tourism, and related value chains along major water bodies such as Lake Kariba and Lake Tanganyika.
Dr Kefi urged member states to see PROFISHBLUE not as a stand-alone project, but as a vehicle for regional integration in line with the SADC vision.
“Let me encourage stakeholders to view this programme as an opportunity beyond the confines of their countries but for regional integration within the Blue Economy context,” he said.
The programme is funded by the African Development Bank and implemented in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the SADC Secretariat, and other technical institutions. Its mandate cuts across governance reforms, digitalisation, trade facilitation, and investment planning.
How Inland Fisheries Feed Southern Africa
While much of the global debate around the Blue Economy focuses on oceans, Dr Kefi reminded delegates that for Southern Africa, inland lakes and rivers remain the backbone of aquatic food systems.
“The inland fisheries sector in Southern Africa has a crucial role to play in providing food security and nutrition, particularly for poorer segments of the population to sustain livelihoods while driving economic development,” he said.
From kapenta rigs on Lake Kariba to artisanal gillnet fishers on Lake Tanganyika, millions of households rely on fish for protein and income. For Zimbabwe, where maize and small grains dominate agricultural policy, fish has quietly become an essential complement — especially in drought-prone districts where crop harvests are uncertain.
That’s why PROFISHBLUE’s focus on strengthening inland fisheries governance and trade speaks directly to national priorities such as Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), which places food and nutrition security at the centre of economic transformation, and to UN Sustainable Development Goal 2 on ending hunger.
What Progress Has Profishblue Made So Far?
The Harare meeting is reviewing what has been achieved under the current phase of the programme. According to organisers, progress under Dr Kefi’s coordination includes:
- Development of the Lake Kariba Blue Economy Strategy and Investment Plan, designed to drive sustainable fish production and improve livelihoods for communities in Zimbabwe and Zambia.
- Introduction of digital fisheries information platforms to improve data collection, reporting, and decision-making at regional level.
- Facilitation of refrigerated fish trucks and cold-room facilities in several SADC member states, including Zimbabwe, to cut post-harvest losses and improve quality.
- Harmonisation of more than a dozen regional fisheries standards to simplify cross-border trade and promote coordinated border management systems.
For smallholders clustered around Zimbabwe’s dams and lakes, these steps are not abstract. Cold rooms and refrigerated trucks can be the difference between selling fish at a knock-down price on the beach or reaching supermarkets and urban markets days later with a premium product.
At Lake Kariba, a number of Zimbabwean and Zambian cooperatives have also benefited from training and engagement through PROFISHBLUE-linked activities, alongside youth groups such as the Pathfinders Club in Mudzi, which has been pictured with the SADC PROFISHBLUE team after receiving support from the project.
How Trade Corridors Can Lift Fish Farmers’ Incomes
One of the less visible but potentially most powerful strands of PROFISHBLUE is its work on Blue Economy trade corridors — the physical and policy pathways that move fish from water to market across borders.
FFA Explainer:
Trade corridors are routes — by road, rail, or water — along which goods move in significant volumes between countries. When combined with harmonised standards, efficient customs procedures, and cold-chain infrastructure, they can open up new markets for small-scale producers and reduce spoilage.
The project’s harmonisation of regional fisheries standards is central to this vision. If a box of tilapia from Kariba meets the same sanitary and quality requirements in Harare, Lusaka, and Gaborone, cross-border trade becomes simpler and cheaper. This directly supports the African Continental Free Trade Area and SADC’s industrialisation ambitions.
For Zimbabwean women who smoke and dry fish on the shores of Kariba, easier regional trade could mean more predictable prices and the chance to formalise long-standing informal trading networks. For young people entering aquaculture in provinces like Mashonaland West and Matabeleland North, it opens space to think beyond local markets.
What Are Delegates In Harare Deciding?
Beyond the progress review, delegates in Harare are expected to take key decisions on how to operationalise the next phase of work. The agenda includes:
- Scaling up and integrating digital fisheries information systems across member states.
- Rolling out vessel monitoring and surveillance technologies to improve compliance and reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
- Considering feasibility studies for seafood clusters — geographic concentrations of interconnected businesses and institutions in the fish value chain.
- Fine-tuning regional Blue Economy investment strategies and country-level sustainability plans.
- Reviewing the final report on the Blue Economy Strategic and Investment Plan for Lake Kariba and stock assessment initiatives for Lake Tanganyika.
FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa, Mr Patrice Talla, said cooperation between Zimbabwe and Zambia through PROFISHBLUE is already bearing fruit.
“The collaboration between the two countries for more sustainable systems is progressing each year, and I am confident that this new project will succeed,” he said, emphasising that these efforts could set the pace for wider Blue Economy development in SADC.
“This programme will set the tone for more Blue Economy sectors’ sustainable economic growth in the SADC region.”
Where Does Zimbabwe Fit In?
For Zimbabwe, the stakes are high. The country’s fisheries and aquaculture sector has grown steadily over the past two decades [SOURCE REQUIRED], driven by Lake Kariba’s commercial operations, smallholder cage-farming pilots, and expanding dam-based aquaculture in districts such as Kariba, Binga, and Chiredzi.
Under NDS1, Government has signalled greater support for fisheries as part of its broader agricultural transformation agenda. Initiatives linked to PROFISHBLUE — such as cold-chain investments and harmonised standards — dovetail with domestic efforts to reduce food imports, earn foreign currency, and create jobs along the value chain.
Women and youth are particularly well-placed to benefit. Across Zimbabwe’s fishing communities, women dominate the processing and trading end of the chain, while young people are increasingly involved in cage construction, hatchery management, and transport. Better governance and infrastructure can help them move from survivalist activity to viable businesses.
There are also sustainability questions. As the Lake Kariba Blue Economy Strategy and Investment Plan moves from paper to practice, authorities will need to balance expansion with ecosystem health — managing fishing pressure, monitoring water quality, and safeguarding biodiversity. These issues are firmly on the Harare meeting’s agenda, according to organisers [SOURCE REQUIRED].
Digital Tools And Data For Smarter Decisions
One consistent thread running through the PROFISHBLUE discussions is the need for accurate, timely data. Without it, regulators struggle to set fair quotas, investors cannot properly assess risk, and farmers cannot plan production.
The programme’s support for digital fisheries information platforms aims to change that. Properly implemented, such systems can track catches, monitor stocks, and feed information back to both Government and producers.
For a Zimbabwean extension officer visiting a remote fishing camp, a tablet-based app could replace paper logbooks. For a Kariba-based cooperative, real-time price and demand information from Lusaka or Gweru could guide whether to ice fish for export or sell fresh locally.
These systems also tie into vessel monitoring technology, which can improve safety at sea and on lakes, and help clamp down on illegal fishing that undercuts law-abiding operators.
From Policy Room To Cold Room
On Friday afternoon, after the final session closes, delegates will trade air-conditioned conference halls for the cold air of the Zimbabwe Fish Producers Association facility. There, they will see how refrigerated trucks and cold rooms, supported through PROFISHBLUE, are beginning to reshape the fish value chain.
For smallholders, the lesson will be simple: when fish can travel longer distances without rotting, markets expand. When standards are harmonised, borders become less of a barrier. When data is shared across the region, overfishing can be better controlled, and livelihoods become more secure.
The Harare meeting won’t solve every challenge facing Southern Africa’s fisheries. But if the decisions taken on digital systems, investment strategies, and trade corridors are followed through, a farmer on the shores of Kariba — or a young entrepreneur running a fish kiosk in Highfield — could feel the effects within a few seasons.
Back at the cold-chain hub, the truck doors finally swing shut, and the vehicle pulls out into Harare traffic. Its destination might be a supermarket in Bulawayo today, a wholesaler in Lusaka tomorrow. Either way, the journey captures the promise at the heart of PROFISHBLUE: a Blue Economy that carries the work of fishers and farmers further, and pays them better for it.
About The Author
