The Diarrassouba family from Côte d’Ivoire makes a living by farming and selling tilapia. Nile tilapia is a tropical species native to Africa, the culture of which goes back to ancient Egypt. It is also the main fish species farmed in Côte d'Ivoire.

Tilapia is an important source of nutritious and affordable food for many people of this West African country. At the same time, it provides a livelihood and an income to some 1 800 small-scale producers, like the Diarrasouba family. “I was a driver first,” says Laciné Diarrassouba. “But I quit driving and started working the land. There I saw people busy with aquaculture. So, I approached them and they taught me.” 

“We all work together, our children, my husband,” says Awa Diarrassouba, Laciné’s wife. Two of their four children are still at school, she explains, but they help out in their spare time. 

In Côte d’Ivoire, national demand for fish far outweighs domestic production, which makes the country heavily reliant on imports. FISH4ACP is a global initiative in support of fisheries and aquaculture value chains that is backing Côte d’Ivoire’s efforts to intensify tilapia production and become more self-sufficient. FISH4ACP is led by the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) implemented by FAO and partners with funding from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

According to an assessment of the tilapia sector, underpinning FISH4ACP’s ambitious agenda in Côte d’Ivoire, quality fingerlings and affordable feed are the two major obstacles to increased production.  

Laciné Diarrassouba agrees. “You can produce a lot if you have the means to feed your fish,” he says. But there is more. “The first thing is practice and having someone to teach you how” he says.  

While Laciné takes care of his family’s ten tilapia ponds, Awa Diarrassouba sells their produce. “If I have tilapia of two or three kilograms, I call big clients who come and get them,” she says. “Otherwise, I sit at the market and the people come and buy.” 

At the end of the day, the family comes together in the courtyard of their home. “Fish is something you can eat and that you can give,” says Laciné Diarrassouba. “If you give a fish to someone, they will never forget you.”