A comparative assessment of economic, social, and environmental performance of tilapia aquaculture in Nigeria and Ghana

Abstract Capture fisheries in many developing countries are overcapitalized and biologically overexploited, necessitating the promotion of aquaculture to mitigate the deficit in animal protein requirements, create jobs, reduce poverty, and improve the livelihoods of individuals and communities. Over the last two decades, total aquaculture output and its contribution to domestic fish production have surged, reaching 19% and 26% by 2021 (from 1% and 6% in 2000) in Ghana and Nigeria, respectively. The two main species cultivated are tilapia and catfish. While Nigeria is Africa’s second-largest aquaculture producer, Ghana experienced the fastest growth in aquaculture production between 2006 and 2019. Despite the potential benefits, the sectors in both countries face critical challenges, including high feed costs and a lack of technical expertise. In addition, aquaculture can impose a negative externality on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. As a result, aquaculture’s social, economic, and environmental sustainability benefits are context and species-specific, hence an empirical conundrum. This study employs the Aquaculture Performance Indicators (APIs) for a comparative assessment of tilapia farms in Nigeria and Ghana. We found that the overall economic sustainability score is similar for both countries, but Ghana outperforms Nigeria marginally in social and environmental performance.