Research Institutes in Nigeria boost Aquaculture under WAAPP

10 August 2015. Nigeria. Three Research Institutes in the Nigeria were in active collaboration with West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme, WAAPP, to boost aquaculture and improve fish production.

1. the Nigerian Stored Product Research Institute (NSPRI), Ilorin 
2. the Nigerian Institute of Oceanography and Marine Research (NIMOR), Lagos.
3. the National Institute of Fisheries and Fresh Water Research (NIFFWR), New Bussa, Niger State.

The three Institutes were mandated to find cost effective ways of mass production of fingerlings and fish meals locally in order to cut down costs of importing same into Nigeria.

Professor Olufemi Peters 

of NSPRI

The Institutes were also tasked to fashion out cost effective and more hygienic ways of drying and packaging local fish in order to increase its shelve life without losing its original taste and add value to it. The objectives of the project centered on food and social security, increasing the country’s foreign exchange and income earnings especially those in aquaculture business.

The three Research Institutes have designed, developed and fabricated smoking kilns, storage tank and dryers for fish and have succeeded in developing modern and cost effective fish box that could preserve freshness of the fish for weeks and irrespective of the distance to the market. The Institutes have also come up with ways of mass production of fingerlings locally using tilapia and cat fish species native to the Nigeria waters.

The NSPRI kiln has capacity to collect oil oozing from the fish being smoked thereby reducing waste. The Institute has designed three ways of packaging smoked fish that would increase its shelve live and make it possible to display such fish in supermarkets and even export same. The Research Institutes were aimed at poverty alleviation as they would lead to more jobs creation, reduce capital flight and boost food self sufficiency and social security. Prof Peters of NSPRI. He was the maiden Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Related:

14/08/2015. The WorldFish Center with the funding from the European Commission (EC) has joined efforts with AU-IBAR and NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA), to implement a programme called “Improving Food Security and Reducing Poverty through Intra-regional Fish Trade in Sub-Saharan Africa” (also referred to as Fish Trade Program).

This research grant forms part of the mentorship program which aims at building the capacities of the youth and young professionals in Africa through active engagement in the program implementation process.

It is expected that the candidates should be from AU Member states and should have completed their course work in any of the following Universities which are participating in the implementation of the Fish Trade project;

• University of Abidjan, Ivory Coast 
• University of Dakar, Senegal 
• University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 
• University of Douala, Cameroun 
• University of Ghana, Ghana 
• University of Ibadan, Nigeria 
• Lilongwe University of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Malawi 
• National University of Rwanda Other Universities within the regions will also be considered but priority will be given to the Universities above 

The students should be pursuing masters or have proven background in the following programs; Economics, Fisheries Economics, Agriculture Economics, International Trade and other related programs. The candidate should be willing to undertake the study in the southern corridor and parts of eastern corridor, such as Rwanda at the minimum possible cost. The candidates must develop a five paged concept note together with their supervisors and must have an endorsement letter from their supervisors and should reach not later than 4th September 2015.