Rwanda: Kivu Choice Launches Rwanda’s First 30-Metre Tilapia Cage Farms

Kivu Choice, Rwanda’s leading aquaculture company, has launched the country’s first-ever 30-metre diameter fish farming cages on Lake Kivu in Nyamasheke District.

Kivu Choice is a vertically integrated aquaculture with operations that include a feed mill, hatchery, cage production, distribution, and retail outlets. It produces over 10 million fish meals annually and is recognised as Africa’s fastest-growing fish farm.

The launch event, held at the Kivu Choice Fish Farm in Kagano Sector, gathered key stakeholders from agriculture and aquaculture, including policymakers, researchers, community leaders, and government officials.

The 12 newly launched 30-metre cages, the largest in Africa, have the capacity to produce approximately 4,000 tonnes of tilapia annually.

“The twelve newly launched cages will produce 4,000 tonnes of fish per year, roughly equal to the entire fish production of Rwanda’s aquaculture sector recorded in 2021,” said Kamran Ahmad, founder and CEO of Kivu Choice.

The farm has already reached a production rate of 5,000 tonnes per year.

With each new cage capable of producing 350 tonnes annually, the company is now poised to scale up significantly.

“These cages represent a transformative step in fish farming combining scalability, efficiency, and sustainability to meet the rising demand for affordable, high-quality protein across the region,” Ahmad said.

Targeting 30,000 tonnes and creating 1,000 jobs

Ahmad stated that the launch of the 30-metre cage concession is a major step forward in the maturation of Rwanda’s aquaculture industry and a catalyst for increasing national production.

“We are deeply committed to helping Rwanda grow its local fish production to deliver affordable, nutritious food across the country. With this new industrial setup, we expect to grow from 5,000 tonnes to 20,000 tonnes by the end of 2026. Our long-term target is 30,000 tonnes per year, which would place us among the top five tilapia farms globally.”

He said that, with this expansion, the company will create 1,000 full-time jobs. Plans are in place to deploy six more 30-metre cage concessions in Kagano over the next two years.

“Kivu Choice currently operates three water concessions and has recommended another five to the Rwanda Water Resources Board through MINAGRI. We anticipate that eight concessions of 15 hectares each will enable us to reach our 30,000-tonne production target,” he explained.

Construction of the company’s second hatchery will begin in June.

It will be 1.5 times the size of the Kigembe hatchery which is the largest in Africa.

“We’ve also developed the first of its kind in Africa, a fingerling transport system capable of moving 500,000 fingerlings per trip, allowing us to stock up to 10,000 tonnes per year. We’ve cut fingerling transport costs by 75 per cent,” he said, adding that automation of fish processing is also underway.

The company also plans to deploy Africa’s first feed blower system, a mechanical system used in aquaculture and livestock operations to transport and distribute feed efficiently.

Tackling childhood stunting with fish powder

Beyond economic development, Kivu Choice is also addressing public health challenges particularly childhood stunting in districts such as Nyamasheke.

The company is producing nutrient-rich fish powder made from small tilapia to help fight malnutrition in young children.

“We’re producing fish powder from 100-gramme tilapia,” Ahmad explained. “There’s a lot of nutrition in both the meat and the bones. We process it to be nearly tasteless so it can be mixed with other foods which is ideal for children aged 0 to 2, where the damage from malnutrition is most severe.”

The pilot programme will roll out in partnership with the National Child Development Agency (NCDA) in Early Childhood Development Centres, starting in Nyamasheke.

“Fish powder is more affordable, more bioavailable, and far more effective than many artificial supplements currently available. I believe this could be one of the best solutions for combating childhood stunting in Rwanda and across Africa.”

Ahmad also shared that his journey with Kivu Choice began after a visit to Rwanda in 2019 as a student at Stanford Business School.

“I was inspired by Rwanda’s turnaround story after the Genocide against the Tutsi. It felt like an opportunity to contribute to a nation doing remarkable things, with a government committed to supporting foreign investment.”

He noted that the company has achieved its current scale 120 percent faster and at 80 percent of the typical cost, proving the replicability of the model.

“We’re reducing the cost of protein in Rwanda by 25 percent to 50 per cent. Our goal is to expand distribution so every urban and rural consumer can access affordable nutrition,” he said.

Jean Claude Ndorimana, Director General of Animal Resources Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI), praised the project.

“The deployment of Rwanda’s first 30-metre fish cages is a remarkable achievement that showcases the power of innovation and partnership in transforming our aquaculture sector,” he noted.

“MINAGRI is proud to support such forward-thinking efforts that align with our vision for a resilient, self-sustaining agricultural sector. These cages will significantly boost Rwanda’s sustainable protein production, reduce dependency on imports, and benefit hundreds of workers across Kivu Choice’s network,” he added.

He added that Rwanda aims to produce 80,000 metric tonnes of fish by 2035, with Kivu Choice expected to contribute 30,000 tonnes by 2027.

“This project alone will contribute half of our 2027 aquaculture target. By 2035, we aim for 60,000 tonnes from aquaculture,” he said, urging more investment in Lake Kivu’s fish farming potential.

Joseph Désiré Muhayeyezu, Vice Mayor for Economic Development in Nyamasheke District, also commended the project:

“Kivu Choice is combating malnutrition and creating jobs. They plan to distribute fish powder to feed children and fight stunting. The project is also boosting local real estate, and the price of fish is much more affordable compared to other meats.”

By New Times.