Editor's Review
The government has stepped up efforts to revitalise fisheries and aquaculture in the Lake Region through investments aimed at expanding fish production.
The government has stepped up efforts to revitalise fisheries and aquaculture in the Lake Region through investments aimed at expanding fish production.
In a statement on Wednesday, October 7, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo said the initiative is being implemented under the Blue Economy agenda of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The Kabonyo Kanyagwal Regional Fisheries and Aquaculture Training Centre of Excellence in Kadibo Sub-County, Kisumu County, is among the key projects.
Omollo said communities around Lake Victoria have faced declining incomes due to challenges affecting the fishing sector.
"For generations, communities along Lake Victoria have depended on the lake for their livelihoods, but reduced catches, limited market access and shrinking earnings have increasingly undermined household incomes," he wrote.
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Omollo said the 25-acre facility is designed to provide training, support fish production and improve farmers' access to commercial markets and aquaculture services.
"Located on 25 acres, the modern facility will serve as a centre for aquaculture training, fish production and access to commercial cold-chain markets," he added.
According to Omollo, the centre will feature a large hatchery and 20 specialised fish ponds, alongside a flood-control canal designed to manage backflow from Lake Victoria and River Nyando.
It will also have administrative offices, staff quarters and accommodation for trainees undertaking aquaculture training at the facility.
The project is expected to support fish restocking efforts in Lake Victoria while providing inputs and technical support to farmers in several counties across the Lake Region.
"The centre is expected to produce about 28 million fingerlings annually for restocking Lake Victoria, supporting cage fish farming and supplying affordable fish feeds and aquaculture inputs to farmers in Kisumu, Homa Bay, Siaya, Migori and Busia counties," he further said.
Elsewhere, the government is advancing plans to expand industrialisation beyond major urban centres through BETA, with the Nasewa Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Busia County emerging as part of the initiative.
In an update on Monday, October 5, Omollo said the project is intended to bring investment, employment and enterprise opportunities closer to rural communities.
"The Government, through the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), is taking industrialisation to rural areas to expand opportunities for investment, jobs and enterprise," he wrote.
Omollo said in Busia County, the Nasewa EPZ is helping drive this agenda by creating an industrial hub expected to attract manufacturing, processing and value-addition activities.
The facility is taking shape with key infrastructure designed to support businesses that will establish operations at the industrial zone.
"With four warehouses, an administrative block, secure perimeter and reliable water supply, the facility will provide the infrastructure businesses need to establish and expand operations," he added.
Omollo said the development is also expected to create opportunities beyond the businesses that will operate within the EPZ, with local enterprises and service providers set to benefit from increased economic activity.
"Its completion is expected to generate direct and indirect jobs while creating new markets for local artisans, traders, transporters and service providers," he further said.
