Meet the 2026 AFIWEL Fellows

The Africa Fish and Aquaculture Welfare Program (AFIWEL) is a pan-African initiative promoting ethical, safe, and sustainable aquaculture systems across African countries. Through the program, we collaborate with governments, regulators, researchers, and industry actors to embed evidence-based fish welfare standards and practices within national aquaculture policies, farm operations, and market systems.

A cornerstone of the AFIWEL Program is the annual AFIWEL Fellowship, which brings together a dynamic cohort of mid-career fisheries and aquaculture professionals. Fellows receive targeted capacity building and co-lead the in-country implementation of AFIWEL activities within their respective countries.

We are proud to announce the 2026 AFIWEL Fellows, a diverse cohort of professionals representing countries from all African regions – South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Madagascar, and Tanzania.  

As AFIWEL scales implementation across regions, the new Fellows will play a pivotal role in translating fish welfare principles into practice. They will support local aquaculture systems, strengthen biosecurity and health management, and embed welfare standards within real production contexts, and drive meaningful transformation across the continent.