Fifty-seven people trained in fish farming and fish-product processing in Kigoma have been challenged to turn their new skills into businesses that can boost fish production, create jobs and generate income.
Kigoma Regional Administrative Secretary Hassan Rugwa said the four-week training should serve as a stepping stone for the trainees to enter production rather than remain with certificates and skills that are not put into practice.
“The knowledge and skills you have acquired should be a catalyst for you to engage in production, fish farming and fish processing. The country is counting on you to increase productivity in the aquaculture sector,” Mr Rugwa said on September 14, 2026, at the closing of the training.
The training comes as the government seeks to expand aquaculture, with the sector offering opportunities for young people to earn a living through fish farming, processing and other activities along the value chain.
The programme was conducted by the Fisheries Education and Training Agency (FETA) Kigoma Campus and funded by Belgium’s development agency Enabel through the Wezesha Binti project.
FETA Chief Executive Officer Dr Semvua Mzighani said investment in skills development was critical to the government’s efforts to expand aquaculture and make better use of the country’s aquatic resources.
“Training in this area is currently a national priority because the government is putting greater emphasis on the development of aquatic resources and fish farming,” Dr Mzighani said.
FETA Kigoma Campus manager August Shirima said the training ran from August 17 to September 11 and brought together participants from Kigoma District Council and Kigoma-Ujiji Municipal Council.
The trainees spent two weeks receiving classroom instruction and another two weeks undertaking practical training, he said.
Mr Shirima said the programme targets 200 people, with 151 having been trained so far. Of these, 84 are fish farmers while 67 have received training in fish-product processing.
The programme's focus on both production and processing is intended to help young people participate in different stages of the aquaculture value chain instead of concentrating only on fish farming.
Enabel representative Magesa Mwangwa said the organisation was supporting the training to equip young people with practical skills that could help them create their own jobs or secure employment in fish farming and processing facilities.
“The aim is to build the capacity of young people so they can become self-employed or secure employment at various fish farming and processing centres,” he said.
However, the trainees said skills alone would not be enough to enable them to establish businesses, calling on the government to help them access start-up capital.
They said financial support would enable them to invest in fish ponds, equipment and processing facilities and put the skills acquired during the training into practice.
The call highlights one of the key challenges facing skills development programmes—ensuring that training translates into actual economic activity and jobs.
Beyond increasing the number of trained fish farmers and processors, the programme is expected to strengthen youth participation across the fisheries and aquaculture value chain, create employment and self-employment opportunities and support the establishment of new businesses.
For Kigoma, where fishing and related activities are an important source of livelihoods, expanding fish farming and processing could also provide an alternative source of income while increasing the supply of fish for local markets.