Uganda’s earnings from fish exports continue to grow, but it is a long road ahead before the sector can enjoy a substantial share of the country’s GDP as the coffee industry does, writes Brian Ssenoga.

In a bid to boost fish trade and personal incomes among women in Uganda, women fish farmers, processors, traders and scientists have formed an umbrella organization called the Women fish network Uganda, attracting more than 100 members. According to Elizabeth Ssempebwa, the chairperson and proprietor of Kiteezi mixed farm, the network was established to help women seize opportunities in the fisheries sector, which is dominated by men.

“We are not here to compete with anybody; neither are we saying we shall just look on as opportunities pass by. But the fact is women have been left out yet if you observe carefully, fish trade is mainly dominated by women who at the same time are marginalized,” she told The Observer at the organisation’s offices at Lugogo last week. The organisation comes at a time when Uganda’s fish exports are declining in terms of volumes. According to a statistical abstract from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, dated October 2015, Uganda exported 17,597 tonnes of fish in 2014, down from the 20,087 tonnes in 2013. However, in terms of value, the figures were better. Fish exports fetched Uganda $134.7m in 2014, up from $126.7m in 2013. Such earnings managed to boost the sector’s significance as a percentage of Uganda’s gross domestic product.

According to Ubos, fish export earnings as a percentage of GDP shot up to six per cent in 2014, compared to 5.3 per cent in 2013, although in 2010 the figure was 7.9 per cent.  The fish industry will need to do encourage more initiatives such as the women fish network to surpass its nearest competitor, the coffee sector, whose percentage of Uganda’s GDP was 18 per cent by the end of 2014. Ssempebwa said one of the strategies the organisation intends to do to tap opportunities is to partner with other bodies in order to beef up their bargaining power while applying for funds. “We are looking forward to benefiting from grants from within and outside the country. It is very hard to get any form of funding, but as a block organization, you have negotiating power and it is easy for any funder to work with you and also coordination is easier,” she said.

Speaking to The Observer on phone, Dr Gudula Basaza, the chairperson of the Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited, noted that while she was not sure if the women fish network Uganda had already been drafted into their organisation, she was glad the initiative had taken off. “We shall accord them the necessary support. Fish farming must go beyond Tilapia and catfish to the alternative and value addition for more income, better nutrition and improved livelihood. For instance, there is a project with TradeMark Africa, which requires us to work and empower women in groups; we can start with that,” she said.

Source: The Observer

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