Kenya's first Aqua Shop opens for business
15 February 2011

Tweet   

Friday 11 February 2011 saw the opening of Kenya's first ever Aqua Shop - a 'one-stop' shop providing the high-quality inputs and advice needed by Kenya's rapidly growing number of fish farmers.

Minister of Youth and Sport, Hon Dr Paul Nyongesa Otuoma MP (in white), together with the Assistant Minister of Fisheries Development, Hon Abu Chiaba, MGH, MP about to enter Kenya's first Aqua Shop

Initially six Aqua Shops are being opened in a pilot project implemented by the NGO FARM-Africa with funding provided by DFID through RIU.

The first Aqua Shop is located in Oboch Shopping Center at Nyabondo, close to Lake Victoria in Nyanza Province, Kenya. It was officially opened by Minister of Youth and Sport, Hon Dr Paul Nyongesa Otuoma MP, together with the Assistant Minister of Fisheries Development, Hon Abu Chiaba, MGH, MP.

At the opening ceremony Dr Nyongesa Otuoma, who was previously the Minister of Fisheries Development, observed that:

"Aquaculture is an idea whose time has come."

The Aqua Shop model has already proven to be useful for rural aquaculture development in India and Vietnam.

RIU's Andy Ward, who was at the opening ceremony, said:

"There was a general feeling that this was just what the sector needed and even talk of how the approach could be rolled out across Kenya."