Shem Oirere is a Kenyan journalist who previously worked for daily newspapers as a general news correspondent, business reporter and sub-editor before turning to full-time freelancing. For the more than 20 years, he has covered various sectors of Africa’s economy including agriculture, food processing, and maritime industries. A graduate of the University of South Africa, he has traveled within and outside Africa covering various industry events that have a bearing on the continent’s economy on behalf of different international consumer and trade publications. He currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya.
Author Archive
An ongoing trial of suspects in the so-called “hidden debt” scandal in Mozambique reached a major milestone in early December when Ndambi Guebuza, son of former Mozambique President Armando Guebuza, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for taking a USD 33 million (EUR 31.3 million) bribe to perpetrate a corruption scheme involving the development of a tuna-fishing industry in the country.
Guebuza, together with 10 other people, were
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South Africa-based Oceana Group saw increased revenue for the year ending 30 September 2022, driven by higher sales of its fishmeal and fish oil and positive pricing across most products.
According to the reviewed, condensed, and consolidated results for the year, the company’s revenue for its total operations, including commercial cold storage (CCS), increased by 11 percent to ZAR 8.4 billion (USD 486 million, EUR 461 million),
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Zimbabwe has unveiled a new 10-year plan to develop tilapia aquaculture, with an objective of increasing production of the species by 300 percent by 2032.
The plan is being spearheaded by FISH4ACP – a global fish value-chain development initiative of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States – with the FAO as the implementer, while the E.U. and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development
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Recurring episodes of low oxygen levels are inflicting massive losses to aquaculture practitioners on Africa's Lake Victoria, as thousands of tilapia and Nile perch have died.
The lake, which borders Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, has seen fish die-offs due to low oxygen for the past two years, with scientists linking the phenomenon to climate change and unregulated development along the lake.
In October and November 2022, fish farms in Kenya's
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Two NGOs are calling on Icelandic fishing company Samherji to make amends for damages caused to Namibia’s economy and fishing communities by a cash-for-quota corruption case in which it is involved.
Three years since the so-called “Fishrot” scandal emerged, there still has been no effort from Samherji to address grievances and specific issues raised by Namibian communities and individuals adversely impacted by the Fishrot
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Cape Town, South Africa-based Premier Fishing and Brands reported a 17 percent revenue decline for the year ending 31 August, 2022, concluding a tough operating period the company is blaming on the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While the export market for squid remains very strong, as the market saw high prices per kilogram, the group unfortunately could not capitalize on the price factor due to the low volumes caught,” a joint
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Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based producer and distributor of fresh and frozen seafood products Saudi Fisheries Co. (SFC) has signed a three-year fish supply agreement with Oman Fisheries effective 2 November 2022.
The deal paves the way for Oman Fisheries Company (OFC), a publicly traded company in Oman with a 24 percent shareholding by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, to supply 1,200 metric tons of fish to SFC in the first phase in exchange
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A new private sector-driven tilapia fingerling farm utilizing recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology has been unveiled in Rwanda, as part of a multi-organization effort to tackle key value chain investment barriers to aquaculture in the country.
The investment is being spearheaded by African Parks, a nonprofit conservation organization that manages Akagera National Park in Rwanda – Central Africa’s largest protected
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A new consortium made up of African and European organizations has unveiled a project promoting the growth of East Africa’s aquaculture sector, with a focus on training fish farmers and other stakeholders across the farmed-fish supply and value chains.
The new EUR 2 million (USD 1.96 million) capacity-building project, to be promoted by the consortium dubbed “Samaki Poa” – a Swahili expression meaning “awesome
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The European Union and Seychelles have reaffirmed their commitment to prevent, deter, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing that threatens the long-term sustainability of the island nation’s fisheries.
The two countries have had fishing agreements for over a decade, and recently renewed their six-year Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) after delays ...
Photo courtesy of the
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