Volunteers from AwF have been remotely assisting Technoserve in Ghana and Idle No More in Liberia, two NGOs interested in small-scale sustainable aquaculture projects in West Africa.  

Technoserve (www.technoserve.org) assists small farmers in Africa and Latin America with plans for agro-based small business. By e-mail and phone, we have helped the Ghana Technoserve representative with basic culture information, local aquaculture contacts in Ghana, and market information for tilapia in West Africa and Europe.  

Idle No More sponsors an orphanage in Monrovia, Liberia and would like to add a fish pond to be used for producing tilapia and other fish for local consumption. A side benefit of the operation is to educate and train the children in fish culture, ecology, and swimming and water safety. We have provided assistance by e-mail, phone, and hosting a tour for one of the Idle No More founders. AwF also provided a book and technical reprints for the NGO to deliver to the project.

We expect to continue assisting both projects with technical advice and hope to have photos to share with you in the future.

Kevin Fitzsimmons