Examining the Marine Aquaculture’s Contribution to Sub-Saharan Africa’s Food System Diversification and Nutritional Security

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is home to about one-third of the world’s population that suffers from chronic hunger. Micronutrient deficiencies affect millions of people in addition to the high prevalence of chronic hunger. In the meantime, there is growing agreement among scientists from various fields that fish is essential to enhancing food and nutrition security. Thus, by reviewing the body of research, the current review seeks to analyse the critical role that coastal and marine ecosystems play in ensuring food security across the African continent. Furthermore, this study illustrates how fish and the aquatic industry as a whole contribute to ensuring food and nutrition security in SSA. Fish is a great source of animal protein and vital micronutrients like calcium, iodine, zinc, and vitamins. These nutrients are crucial for human nutrition and have been shown to lower the risk of non-communicable diseases and malnutrition. The role that the fisheries industry can play in preventing hunger and undernutrition, particularly for the impoverished and marginalized in SSA, should be acknowledged by policymakers, development organizations, and the general public. The production of aquatic food has a lot of potential as a workable way to address the urgent problem of providing the African population with the protein they need. It is essential for both economic expansion and food security, particularly in tropical Africa. Aquatic food sources are becoming more and more necessary as the population grows quickly, as they offer affordable protein and vital nutrients. A number of obstacles prevent aquatic food from being fully utilized in the tropical African environment, despite Africa’s abundant aquatic food supplies and the significance of aquatic food in sustainable and healthful diets. The results show how different countries consume different amounts of aquatic protein, highlighting the significance of taking local factors into account when developing nutritional interventions and regulations. A consistent pattern of lower aquatic protein availability is found when the supply of protein from aquatic sources and land animals was compared across African countries. Animal protein consumption is comparatively lower per capita, especially in Africa. The average amount of land animal feed on the continent was far more abundant than the average amount of aquatic food. This implies that the majority of dietary protein requirements in African nations are satisfied by land animal sources. Policymakers, dietitians, and other stakeholders should take note of these findings since it emphasizes the necessity of focused approaches to increase protein accessibility in African nations. Additionally, it urges that any disparities in the region’s use of land-based and aquatic protein sources be addressed.