At a recent ocean conservation meeting in Kenya, Lovin Kobusingye, a pioneering Ugandan entrepreneur, called attention to the challenges facing women in Africa’s fisheries. Despite being crucial to their communities’ economies, women’s contributions remain underrecognized in policy and investment decisions.
- Women fish processors often lack representation in fisheries governance.
- Kobusingye turned personal hardship into a successful business.
- She leads a pan-African network supporting women fish traders.
What happened
Lovin Kobusingye spoke at a gathering of ocean conservation and development practitioners in Watamu, Kenya, where she emphasized that women who catch, process, and sell fish remain excluded from many discussions about Africa's blue economy. In her experience, coastal tourism and industrial developments increasingly threaten traditional fishing zones, competing with fishing communities for access and resources.
Kobusingye shared how women in fisheries face numerous challenges including poor working conditions, safety risks, and the impacts of environmental changes like rising sea levels and declining fish stocks. Despite their central role in sustaining fisheries-based livelihoods and coastal economies, women often lack formal recognition in policy and decision-making processes.
Why it feels good
Kobusingye’s personal story resonates as an inspiring example of resilience and empowerment. After her husband left, she used her food science background to start a fish-processing business in Kampala, initially out of necessity to support her children. Over time, this venture grew to employ many people, showing how entrepreneurship in grassroots fisheries can transform lives.
Her leadership expands beyond business—she now heads the African Women Fish Processors and Traders Network (AWFISHNET), which unites women from 44 countries engaged in fisheries and aquaculture. Her advocacy aims to elevate women’s voices, ensuring they receive investment, policy attention, and the respect they deserve in managing fisheries and coastal resources.
What to enjoy or watch next
Following Kobusingye’s insights, watching developments in African blue economy initiatives can highlight how actual inclusion of women shapes sustainable fisheries management. Support for community-based fisheries and women-led enterprises often leads to improvements in livelihoods, food security, and environmental stewardship across diverse coastal regions.
For those interested in ocean conservation and gender equity, tracking the work of organizations like AWFISHNET offers a glimpse of how networks foster collaboration and empowerment. Staying engaged with stories of women entrepreneurs in fisheries can inspire wider appreciation of the complex, vital work behind seafood economies and coastal cultures.