Under the newly signed agreement, Egypt will continue to host the Abbassa Research and Training Centre in Sharqia Governorate for another 25 years Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation,…

Under the newly signed agreement, Egypt will continue to host the Abbassa Research and Training Centre in Sharqia Governorate for another 25 years

Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk, signed and renewed the agreement to continue hosting WorldFish in Egypt in a landmark move that seals Egypt’s pivotal role on the African continent as a leading producer of aquatic foods and a hub for cutting-edge research in sustainable aquaculture development. Hosted since 1997, the international research centre for aquatic food systems, WorldFish, has been an integral part of Egypt’s journey in becoming a powerhouse of aquaculture production, increasing it 12-fold in 25 years and opening an avenue for job creation, income generation and economic growth in the country. 

“It is important for Egypt to drive more investments in its aquaculture sector in Egypt and Africa. In working with WorldFish, we can develop an integrated action plan for developing the sector, as the centre brings scientific expertise that can raise the efficiency of producers and help Egypt’s producers achieve global standards, necessary to connect to foreign markets,” said Alaa Farouk, Egypt’s Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, at the signing ceremony in Cairo. 

At the heart of Egypt and WorldFish’s collaboration is WorldFish’s Abbassa Research and Training Centre, a hub for climate-smart aquaculture research, training and capacity building. The centre leverages a systems approach, focusing its research on enhancing Nile tilapia performance, feed, fish health and strengthening the market systems so they are inclusive of women. 

A breakthrough innovation from the centre has been the Abbassa strain of Nile tilapia that reduced environmental impact by 36 per cent while growing up to 28 per cent faster, enabling Egypt to sustainably intensify its fish production. Today, the Abbassa strain is providing a solution to develop aquaculture in arid regions. 

“WorldFish is honoured to be hosted by Egypt for another 25 years, cementing our longstanding collaboration. WorldFish is committed to working with Egypt and to bring its cross-cutting scientific expertise that can help the country and the wider region unlock the many benefits of sustainable aquaculture and related value chains—strengthening nutrition, women empowerment and economic growth,” said Dr Essam Yassin Mohammed, WorldFish Director General.

The signing took place in the presence of Eng. Mostafa El Sayad, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Prof. Dr. Adel AbdElazeem, President of Agriculture Research Center and it’s Vice President, Dr. Saad Moussa who oversees foreign agricultural relations, WorldFish Board Chair Alyssa Jade McDonald-Baertl and Dr. Salah Moselhy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Lakes and Fish Resources Protection and Development Authority and a member of WorldFish’s Board of Trustees.

Under the newly signed agreement, Egypt will continue to host the Abbassa Research and Training Centre in Sharqia Governorate for another 25 years, where WorldFish works to both advance research and strengthen research capacity in the region to promote sustainable development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the African region.