Small-scale fisheries tenure rights in Africa: A case of Island States and the Great Lakes Region

By Okeloh W’Namadoa¹, Gabriel Muswali² & Peris Khamoga³

Overview of small-scale fisheries and tenure rights in Africa

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) play an important role in food security, job creation for millions, and cultural heritage across Africa. The SSF subsector accounts for over 60 percent of the continent’s fish production and provide 90 percent of the fish consumed. In order to sustain the reported benefits, small-scale fishers need secure and stable access to fishing grounds. They also need access to other resources like land so they can bring fish ashore, have a place to process and market fish, and, not least, have a place to live. Without recognized rights, there is the risk that competing economic interests from other users of the water and land, such as tourism, power production, industrial fishing or other interests can push small-scale fishing communities aside. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), in its chapter 5A on Responsible governance of tenure, advise that small-scale fishing communities should have secure, equitable and socio-culturally appropriate tenure rights to fishery resources, fishing areas and adjacent land and forests. Special attention should be given to tenure rights of women and the customary rights to aquatic resources and land of indigenous peoples and ethnic minorities.

Sensitization of fisher communities on tenure rights in small-scale fisheries

In view of the importance of tenure rights for SSF, the Pan African Platform for Non-State Actors in Fisheries and Aquaculture (AFRIFISH-Net), through the support of Turning Tides, carried out sensitization exercises for the fisher and coastal communities in Madagascar in Southern Africa and, Kenya and Uganda in East Africa.

Sensitization of small-scale fisherfolk from Kenya and Uganda communities around Lake Victoria

In January 2026, AFRIFISH-Net, in collaboration with its member the Eastern African Platform for Fisheries and Aquaculture (EARFISH), held a sensitization workshop for small-scale fishers, fish traders largely women fish traders, beach management unit (BMU) leaders, government fisheries and enforcement officers, local administrators and representatives of political leaders in Port Victoria town located at the shore of Lake Victoria, in Busia County, Kenya.. The participatory sensitization conducted by facilitators from AFRIFISH-Net and EARFISH featured testimonies from the participants about the challenges they face while operating in or around Lakes Victoria, Edward and Albert which are trans-boundary water bodies. While the fishers mentioned arbitrary arrests for crossing territorial boundaries to reach preferred fishing grounds in the lake, the fish traders were similarly concerned that they could not freely transport fish to near markets in the neighboring country.

Generally, the participants were not familiar with the SSF Guidelines and Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security (VGGT). Hence, the sensitization focused on demystifying the concept of tenure rights in SSF particularly in trans-boundary water resource. The participants were issued with the copies of SSF and VGGT Guidelines for reference. The fisherfolk representatives and government operators were appreciative of the new knowledge about tenure rights in SSF in trans-boundary water body like Lakes Victoria, Edward and Albert. The representatives requested AFRIFISH-Net and EARFISH to spearhead efforts towards developing regional policy instrument on tenure rights for the SSF in the Eastern African region that also covers the Great Lakes Region (GLR) as a durable solution to the problem that they faced.

Sensitization in Madagascar

A similar sensitization workshop, under the support of Turning Tides (TT) was held in Toliara, Madagascar in May, 2025. SSF actors in Madagascar were also concerned about the competition for fishing grounds with industrial/large scale fishers. Further, the fisherfolk raised concerns on the enormous impact of the Blue Economy discourse on the small-scale fisheries in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) region, suggesting the need for sustained dialogue with significant engagement with the fisherfolk. Hence, the sensitization workshop, co-facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation’s (UN-FAO) focused on enlightening the small-scale fishers, fish traders most of them women and local structures such as Locally Managed Marine Areas(LMMAs), and community leaders on the importance of tenure rights in securing the fishing grounds, landing sites and markets. The SSF and VGGT Guidelines frameworks were used as the guiding documents on sensitization of the communities on the role of tenure rights in the SSF. Copies of the SSF and VGGT Guidelines were distributed among the participants.

However, the participants requested for continued and sustained sensitization campaigns of the SSF tenure agenda in Malagasy language. AFRIFISH-Net in collaboration with EARFISH produced sensitization materials in Malagasy language, post the sensitization workshop, and shared with the Southern African Platform for Non-State Actors in Fisheries and Aquaculture (SANSAFA), a regional Fisheries Non State Actor registered in Madagascar and which partnered with AFRIFISH-Net in conducting the sensitization. Using the sensitization materials in Malagasy language, the SSF NSA has been conducting community awareness and sensitization on tenure in the SSF sub-sector in Madagascar.

Broader ramifications of tenure rights in Africa’s small-scale fisheries

Tenure rights are a development agenda that have enormous impact on the sustainable prosperity of the SSF in Africa. It is particularly key in ensuring optimum exploitation of the trans-boundary SSF in Africa. To contribute to that, tenure rights in SSF should become one of the key element of the regional cooperation on trans-boundary fisheries resources.

1. Okeloh W’Namadoa is the Secretary General of AFRIFISH-Net and President of EARFISH
2. Gabriel Muswali PhD serves as the Strategy and Programmes Adviser for both AFRIFISH-Net and EARFISH
3. Peris Khamoga is the Interim Coordinator for EARFISH and AFRIFISH-Net