Sustainability of the Sub-Saharan African Capture Fisheries and Aquaculture Value Chains: A Review of the Roles and Challenges of Youths and Women in Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi and Zambia

Women’s and youths’ participation in capture fisheries and aquaculture value chains is critical to attaining food security and enhancing socio-economic development in sub-Saharan African countries (SSA). Capture fisheries and small-holder aquaculture in Africa significantly impact the livelihoods of households involved in the processing and marketing of fish products, despite many impeding factors in the respective value chains. This paper reviews the challenges that limit women’s and youths’ full participation in the capture fisheries and aquaculture value chains in selected low-income African countries — Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia. Electronic data from published literature on case studies in these selected countries was systematically obtained using search engines and reviewed. Analysis showed that many women and youths are employed at all stages of the fish value chains, including production, processing, and trade. However, cross-cutting socio-economic constraints ranging from culture to access to inputs, infrastructure, national policies, marketing, and financial aspects still marginalize these two societal groupings. The comparative review thus concluded by proposing recommendations that can be upscaled to the SSA countries.