Zimbabwe - Lake Harvest Aquaculture Expansion Project

The Lake Harvest Aquaculture project on Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe is the largest sustainable Tilapia fish farming in Africa. It creates jobs in Zimbabwe, particularly for women fish traders, and provides an important supply of affordable protein to the southern Africa region. This will be the AfDB Group’s first private sector investment in Zimbabwe, as part of its efforts to selectively re-engage in the country. Lake Harvest Aquaculture will produce 20,000 tons of fish annually. The company is primarily targeting African markets with Zimbabwe expected to absorb 37 percent of the production. It will export a further 50 percent to markets in the southern African region. Lake Harvest Aquaculture is considered by many experts to be a model for sustainable fish farming on the continent. The project is organized around three (3) main operations, namely: 1) breeding and rearing in fish ponds on land (Bakerton farm); 2) rearing in floating cages in the lake; and 3) a treatment plant Fish.