Day 1 – Session 1: Opening

Day 1 – Session 2: Aquaculture Policy Frameworks and Strategies

This session will focus on existing policies that support industry, and initiatives to unlock investment. The opportunities, gaps and challenges will also be discussed, and it will highlight:

1. Government programs to support sector investment across the value chain.
2. Access to resources and facilities that promote sustainable commercial aquaculture, such as existing permitting guidelines and regional trade protocols.
3. The extent to which government policies have dealt with cross-cutting matters such as empowerment of women and youth, climate change mitigation and environmental resources for sustainable aquaculture development.

Day 1 – Session 3: Impact of Aquaculture on the Economy

This session will showcase the societal and economic benefits accruing to the promotion of sustainable commercial aquaculture development in East Africa, notably:

1. Nutritional and other socio-economic benefits to society that have accrued from aquaculture.
2. Success stories from entrepreneurs illustrating impacts on families and the greater community.
3. Case studies showcasing the contribution of farmed fish to local supply i.e., local/urban markets, employment, off-setting import bills, forex earnings, etc.

Day 1 – Session 4: Women and Youth in Aquaculture

This session will showcase the role and contributions of women and youth in East Africa’s aquaculture value chain:

1. Women and youth activities/businesses, associations, and networks in aquaculture.
2. Topical issues pertaining to women and youth; and the changes that need be made to empower them to invest in aquaculture and auxiliary aquaculture businesses.
3. Students’ activities, clubs, and presentation of student thesis.
4. Vocational and tertiary training programs (technical and skills development, etc).
5. Webinar on writing skills and making scientific presentations (conference activity for students).

Day 2 – Session 5: The opportunities and prospects in the East African aquaculture value chain

1. Presentations on business opportunities and challenges across the entire value chain (i.e., farmers, species, culture systems; processors; transporters including distributors, feeds, farmed fish outlets, etc. at small and large scale).
2. Unharnessed development opportunities – e.g., financial institutions, Public private Partnerships etc.
3. Enterprise budgets, proposal writing and aquaculture business plans.

Day 2 – Session 6: Aquaculture as a food production system

1. Focus on production and production systems.
2. Feed manufacture.
3. Fingerling production.
4. Processing & packaging technologies.
5. Collective marketing and distribution networks/systems.
6. Technology.
7. Ethical issues.

Sustainable environmental management, early warning and risk mitigation (environmental, biodiversity, biosecurity).

Day 3 – Session 7: Aquatic animal health, welfare, and food-safety

1. Health management.
2. Aquatic animal health diagnostics and inputs, etc.
3. Antimicrobial resistance.
4. Zoonosis.
5. Zoo-sanitary certification for aquaculture inputs, produce and products for regional trade.