Shem Oirere

Shem Oirere

Contributing Editor

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

Published on
June 16, 2021

The United States has announced an entrance ban on two former Namibian cabinet ministers implicated in the Fishrot corruption scandal.

The so-called "Fishrot" scandal, in which more than USD 650 million (EUR 536 million) was flagged as suspicious proceeds, involved Namibia’s state-owned National Fishing Corporation of Namibia (Fishcor) and Icelandic fish processing firm Samherji. Samherji was alleged to have paid bribes to Namibian

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Published on
June 9, 2021

South Africa-based startup Sea-Stematic Pty Ltd – a company working on cell-based seafood production – says it is eyeing a share of the Chinese cell-based meat market through strategic partnerships with Chinese seafood manufacturers

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Published on
June 8, 2021

Oceana Group, one of the top South Africa-based seafood firms, said COVID-19 driven food service trends in the European and Chinese seafood markets have continued to have impacts with the company posting a mixed financial performance largely dictated by the uncertainties created by the global pandemic …

Photo courtesy of Oceana

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Published on
June 7, 2021

Namibia has announced a successful government fish quota auction that raised NAD 189.9 million (USD 14 million, EUR 11.5 million) for the government from the sale of 15,948 metric tons (MT) of hake.

The auction on 16 April, attracted 38 bids and raised NAD 156.1 million (USD 11.4 million, EUR 9.4 million) at the primary sale after the bids were whittled down to 23, according to a joint statement by Namibian Finance Minister Ipumbu Shiimi and

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Published on
June 3, 2021

The European Union has issued a second yellow card to Ghana, warning the West African country it stands to lose its access to the European seafood market unless it works more urgently to tackle the illegal fishing within its exclusive economic zone.

Ghana now has to demonstrate changes to its management practices or risk receiving a red card from the European Commission, which would result in seafood-related trade sanctions.

The E.U. is

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Published on
May 31, 2021

A new study has investigated the details of how the outbreak and spread of COVID-19 impacted the availability and supply of seafood, with fish-producing countries in Asia and Africa reporting huge disruptions of their aquatic food value chain in 2020.

With nearly every fish-producing country in the world reeling from the effects of COVID-19 on production, processing, and supply of aquatic food products, the study identifies short- and long-term

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Published on
May 31, 2021

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has teamed up with Partners for Development to launch a two-year aquaculture investment project in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, a region that produces nearly 80 percent of the country’s total domestic fish output …

Photo courtesy of Partners for

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Published on
May 28, 2021

Cape Town, South Africa-based seafood company Premier Fishing and Brands Ltd. has reported a positive financial performance for the six months ending 28 February, 2021, supported by profits generated by its squid division ... 

Photo courtesy of Premier Fishing

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Published on
May 25, 2021

West African countries in the Gulf of Guinea have stepped up the fight against illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and related crimes with the creation of a regional center to coordinate their fisheries management.

The countries of Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, through Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC) – an intergovernmental organization that promotes

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Published on
May 24, 2021

The development of a fishing industry project in Sierra Leone finance by China is being opposed group of non-governmental organizations who claim it will harm the environment.

The Sierra Leone government said it has received USD 55 million (EUR 45 million) from China for the construction of a fishing harbor and fishmeal plant on 250 acres in the Black Johnson area, nearly 51 years after the project was first considered and then tabled

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