the local level are 3 former staff members of PIAGELAC. There is a weak administrative structure for
fisheries and aquaculture. The sector is managed by staff whose training is not directly related to
fisheries discipline.
The law n° 58/2008 determining the organization and management of aquaculture and fishing in
Rwanda was enacted on 10/09/2008 to repeal the decree law of 21April 1937 relating to Game and
Fishing. The ministerial order n° 007111.30 of 18/11/2010 determines the terms and conditions for
granting fishing licenses which may be for sport, professional or for research.
The ministerial order n° 011/11.30 of 18/11/2010 regulates the importation, marketing and
distribution modalities of aquaculture and fisheries products, equipment and materials.
The ministerial order n° 006/11.30 of 18/11/2010 determines the form and content of the aquaculture
and fishing concession contract and finally the ministerial order n°010/11.30 of 18/11/2010
determines aquaculture and fishing zones.
Fishing licences and fishing concessions in Rwanda are regulated by law no 28/2008 of 10/09/2008
determining the organization and management of aquaculture and fishing in Rwanda and the
ministerial order determining the form and content of aquaculture and fishing concession. The Mayor
of the Administrative District where the fishing/aquaculture activity takes place, elaborates a report on
which basis the competent Ministerial authorities can issue fishing licenses. Depending on the site
location and size of ponds, application may be addressed to the mayor of the District (small scale
farms) or to the Ministry of Natural Resources (large scale farms). The application letter should be
accompanied by the project proposal and the proposal for environmental impact assessment (EIA).
The procedure is fast and the fee for an aquaculture concession costs 35000 RWF (€38.00). The
district inspection is conducted within 7 days following application and generates an EIA report which
is endorsed by the Mayor of the District. All documents are submitted to the Reception Desk or the
Public Relations office of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) or the Rwanda Environmental
Management Agency (REMA). This service is free of charge, but in case a detailed EIA is required,
investor pays 1 to 2 million RWF (€1100-2200.00) for it.
4.5.5 Business environment
Rwanda performed well in a number of the World Bank's global Ease of Doing Business indicators,
ranking 54th and 32th in 2013 and in 2014, respectively. When compared to other EAC countries,
Rwanda ranks highest (see Table 7).
Table 8
Selected business indicators in Rwanda and EAC
Doing business 2014 Rwanda Kenya Uganda Burundi Tanzania
Starting a business 9 134 151 27 119
Dealing with construction
permits
85 47 143 126 177
Registering property 8 163 126 52 146
Getting credit 13 13 42 170 130
Protecting investors 22 98 115 34 98
Paying taxes 22 166 98 143 141
Trading across borders 162 156 164 175 139
Enforcing contracts 40 151 117 177 42
Ranking out of 183 economies: 1= best and 189 is the worst performer.
Source: World bank (2014).
4.5.6 Socio-economic potential
Compared to Tanzania, Rwanda is not a fish eating country. However, the market for fish is increasing
due to the fast growing population and increased buying power. The market prices of tilapia will follow
wild-caught tilapia prices of the Lakes: around RWF2,500-2,800/kg (€2.70-3.00) on the market and
RWF2,000/kg (€2.15) at the farm gate. This is much more than tilapia prices in Egypt, the largest
market in Africa, where farmers get €1.40-1.50/kg tilapia. Rwanda has most of the key ingredients for
fish feed available in the country. Production costs of fish feed will be around RWF750 (€0.80) per kg
fish. Feed cost make up around 65% of the total production cost, which make the total production
costs around €1.23/kg. The above mentioned costs and revenues show a positive economic potential
to produce tilapia in Rwanda.
4.5.7 Conclusions
• Current status of aquaculture in Rwanda is modest with a production of approximately 1,500
MT/year.
• Natural resources (water, land, and climate) are sufficiently available and suitable for aquaculture
development.
• On the input side, feeds, seeds and access to investment capital are the major constraints.
• Rwanda is not a real fish eating country. However, there is a growing demand for tilapia and this will
continue to grow in the coming decade as a result of population growth, increased buying power and
increased awareness of the product. Overall quantities though will remain modest.
• Nominal prices of tilapia have increased in time, it is expected that future price development will
stay positive due to a growing demand.
• DRC is an important (unregistered) export market for fish from Rwanda.
• Based on current market prices and feed costs, tilapia aquaculture is a profitable business
• Cage culture of tilapia in Lake Kivu (and possibly other lakes) has the biggest potential but this but
will require a better access to investment capital.
Fisheries Annex 6 related agencies in
Tanzania
National Environment Management Council (NEMC)
The National Environment Management Council (NEMC) came into being in 1983 when the
Government of Tanzania enacted the National Environment Management Act No. 19 of 1983. NEMC
was established with a broad mandate in response to the national need for such an institution to
oversee environmental management issues and also implement the resolutions of the Stockholm
conference (1972), which called upon all nations to establish and strengthen national environmental
Councils to advise governments and the international community on environmental issues. The
enactment of Environmental Management Act No. 20 of 2004 (EMA, 2004) by Parliament in October
2004, repealed the National Environmental Management Act No.19 of 1983 and re-established NEMC.
It has a legal and institutional framework for sustainable management of the environment, prevention
and control pollution, waste management, environmental quality standards, public participation,
environmental compliance and enforcement. Furthermore, NEMC has a mandate to undertake
enforcement, compliance, review and monitor environmental impacts assessments, research, facilitate
public participation in environmental decision-making, raise environmental awareness and collect and
disseminate environmental information.
Marine Parks and Reserves Unit (MPRU)
Marine Parks and Reserves Unit (MPRU) was established by the Marine Parks and Reserves Act of
1994. MPRU which mainly deals with conservation of resources is managed by the board of Trustees
whose role is to oversee the management and administration of marine parks and reserves to ensure
sustainable use of the marine resources.
Board of External Trade (BET)
The Board of External Trade (BET) of Tanzania is a government organization with a mandate to
promote Tanzanian exports through collaboration with stakeholders in export market such as Ministry
of Trade and Industry, producers, processors, exporters, etc. The Board is dedicated to establish
global business partnership through organizing and managing international and specialized trade fairs,
solo exhibitions, product and market research development missions, buyer-seller meetings and
contact marketing programmes. BET comes out regular trade information dissemination and offers
consultancy services to producers, exporters and importers to enable them to effectively participate in
the global market place.
Tanzania Foods and Drugs Authority (TFDA)
Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority (TFDA), is a regulatory body responsible for controlling the quality,
safety and effectiveness of food, drugs, herbal drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. TFDA which is
under the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare was established by the Tanzania Food, Drugs and
Cosmetics Act, 2003 with the mission of protecting and promoting public health by ensuring quality,
safety and effectiveness of food, drugs, cosmetics and medical devices. In order to achieve its goal
TFDA conducts pre-marketing evaluation of products so as to ensure that they meet standards of
quality, safety and effectiveness before the products are allowed into the market.
The Lake Victoria Fish Processors Association (LVFPA)
This is a professional association of the fishery industry on Lake Victoria. It consists of Nile perch fish
processors and exporters whose headquarters is located in Mwanza.
It is coordinated by a Secretariat based in Mwanza and its main roles include promoting marketing of
Nile perch fisheries products, liaison with other relevant organizations, formulating and facilitating
implementation of fisheries industry code of practice and ensuring quality standards, training of
company staff on quality standards and implementing projects which promote the fisheries sector, as
an institution or jointly with other partners.
