Tanzania has kicked off an ambitious five-year programme to give its fisheries and aquaculture sector a long overdue upgrade. The Tanzania Scaling-Up Sustainable Marine Fisheries and Aquaculture Management project, known as TASFAM, is valued at US$117 million and has been developed in partnership with the World Bank to run from 2025 to 2030. The aim is straightforward: move from underused potential to profitable, sustainable coastal economies that deliver jobs, food and foreign exchange.
A practical package, from market halls to vessels
TASFAM is designed to be practical and visible. Funding will support the construction of modern fish markets and onshore processing facilities, supply improved equipment for small scale fishers, and expand aquaculture activities such as seaweed and sea cucumber farming. The project also includes the purchase of a marine research vessel to strengthen scientific monitoring and resource management so that scaling up does not come at the cost of the ocean. Implementation will cover coastal councils on the mainland as well as Zanzibar, targeting coastal communities that depend on marine resources.
Why Tanzania needs this push now
Official data underline the scale of the opportunity. Experts estimate Tanzania could sustainably harvest more than 4 million tonnes of fish a year, yet actual landings remain far below that ceiling. In 2023 the country’s reported landings were roughly 604,791 tonnes, with aquaculture contributing around one fifth of the total. Low investment in processing, weak storage and transport infrastructure, fragmented market access and gaps in regulation have limited the sector’s ability to convert raw catches into higher value products and stable incomes. TASFAM is meant to tackle those precise bottlenecks.
Who stands to gain
At the heart of the project are small scale fishers, coastal entrepreneurs and more than 300 seaweed and marine farming groups that officials say will directly benefit from improved practices and market access. For a trader who currently loses days each week because there is no cold chain, a new market with cold storage can mean fresher fish, better prices and more reliable customers. For women who already run drying platforms, access to processing training and working capital can convert seasonal work into year round income. The project targets those daily realities with infrastructure and training.
Risks and realism matter
Ambition alone will not be enough. The government rightly acknowledges that success depends on how local administrations, producers and private actors adopt new systems. Common pitfalls include delays in procurement, weak maintenance plans for new facilities, underfunded training programmes and insufficient market linkages that leave upgraded infrastructure underutilised. TASFAM also enters a context where climate change, illegal fishing and variable export markets complicate predictable growth. Transparent governance, good maintenance financing and clear accountability at local level will be essential if investments are to pay off.
What success looks like in five years
If it works, the changes will be measurable and human. Post-harvest losses should fall as cold rooms and processing units reduce spoilage. More processed fish and marine products would stay in-country, creating jobs in packing, transport and retail. Seaweed and sea cucumber farms would give coastal households alternative income streams and reduce pressure on wild stocks. A functioning marine monitoring vessel would improve stock assessments so harvesting can be adjusted before a crisis hits. Those outcomes would make the sector more resilient and help Tanzania capture a larger share of the blue economy.
Voices from the ministry and beyond
Permanent Secretary Agnes Meena has framed the project as one that strengthens livelihoods and aligns with national blue economy ambitions, noting the explicit aim to empower small scale fishers and coastal entrepreneurs. Observers say the World Bank partnership brings technical standards and financing discipline, but that local ownership and the quality of implementation will determine whether communities actually feel the benefits.
The first steps and the long haul
Implementation has already moved from paper to action with the project management committee convening and early procurement notices issued. But building markets and training communities is the easy part compared with keeping them running and linking them to demand. For long term impact, TASFAM will need complementary measures such as access to microfinance for fishers and processors, improved landing site governance, strengthened value chain linkages to domestic and export markets, and climate smart practices that protect both livelihoods and ecosystems.
A project with a human bottom line
For many coastal families the promise is simple: more reliable incomes, fresher fish on the table, and new jobs beyond the shore. For policy makers it is also strategic: turning an underperforming sector into a visible contributor to growth and foreign exchange. TASFAM is not a silver bullet, but it is an important test of how targeted public investment, paired with technical support, can unlock latent value in the ocean. The coming five years will show whether Tanzania can translate that promise into steady paychecks and thriving coastal towns.
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