The African Development Bank Group has opened applications for a new scholarship programme with Shanghai Ocean University, seeking African students and early-career professionals who can help the continent build a stronger foundation in sustainable fisheries, aquaculture, and marine science. The initiative, set to begin in 2026, is designed to answer a pressing question facing governments from Senegal to Mozambique: who will manage Africa’s increasingly fragile aquatic resources in the decades ahead?
The announcement comes as the Bank implements its Ten-Year Strategy (2024–2033), which places scientific training and institutional capacity at the center of Africa’s long-term development. It also reflects a growing recognition within the Bank and partner governments that the blue economy is no longer a peripheral theme but a determinant of food security, climate resilience and economic diversification.
Fisheries alone support more than 12 million jobs across Africa and generate roughly US$24 billion annually, yet many national systems still operate with limited data, outdated technologies and insufficient regulatory expertise. These shortages are evident in West Africa, where countries continue to lose an estimated US$2.3 billion each year to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and in East Africa, where declining catch levels in Lake Victoria have unsettled communities that depend on Nile perch exports for household income.
Shanghai Ocean University, one of the world’s leading institutions in aquaculture and ocean governance, will host the scholars on its Shanghai campus. The programmes include Master’s and PhD degrees in marine science, fisheries, aquaculture engineering, food science and applied/fisheries economics, alongside a three-week summer school that combines laboratory instruction with field visits to commercial hatcheries and marine monitoring stations.
Scholars receive full tuition, accommodation, meals and a monthly stipend, giving them access to research facilities that African universities often lack, including advanced hatchery simulation labs and equipment for environmental sampling and marine ecosystem modelling. Students must cover their own flights and visa fees, but the Bank describes the package as one of its most comprehensive investments in scientific capacity building to date.
The significance of this partnership becomes clearer when viewed against the continent’s demographic curve. Africa’s population is expected to reach 1.7 billion by 2030, placing unprecedented pressure on food systems already strained by climate shifts in the Sahel, coastal erosion in West Africa, and rising sea temperatures in the Indian Ocean.
Several governments have begun prioritizing aquaculture as an alternative protein source, yet production remains uneven. Egypt accounts for nearly two-thirds of Africa’s farmed fish output, while countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Ghana have expanded their aquaculture footprints but still wrestle with feed supply gaps, hatchery inefficiencies and a shortage of trained technicians.
The scholarship initiative attempts to close these gaps by training Africans in the scientific and managerial skills needed to stabilize production, improve resource monitoring and modernize regulatory frameworks.
Behind the technical training lies a broader question of economic strategy. Coastal economies like Namibia and Morocco have shown how investment in marine science and value-addition can transform fisheries into export-driven industries.
However many African countries still depend heavily on raw fish exports, losing potential revenue that could come from local processing, cold-chain expansion and sustainable stock management. By investing in human capital, the Bank aims to position African states to negotiate better access agreements, strengthen monitoring capacity, and design aquaculture systems that can withstand climate-related shocks.
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Applications are open to nationals of African Development Bank member countries with academic or professional backgrounds in fisheries, aquaculture or related fields. Candidates must demonstrate English proficiency, minimum IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL 80, and PhD applicants are expected to show prior research experience. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted, and the scholarship does not create employment with the Bank.
The deadline for submission is 10 December 2025. Apply through this link: 2026 AfDB–Shanghai Ocean University (SHOU) Scholarship
