Meet the farmerFrom France to Thiès: one man’s mission to reshape aquaculture in Senegal

Sène’s academic journey began in his homeland of Senegal, earning a master’s degree in fisheries science from Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis. He then expanded his expertise by working in countries across Africa and in France, cultivating a range of species including sea bream, sea bass, tilapia, catfish, pangasius and giant freshwater prawns.

While in France, Sène had the chance to take up a role in a rainbow trout hatchery but opted instead to return home and help build Senegal’s aquaculture sector.

‘’My choice to settle in Senegal was deeply rooted in my conviction to contribute to the development of my country. Indeed, I deliberately turned down a very attractive job offer in France. My goal was to return to Senegal, the country that gave me everything,’’ explains Sène. 

In a country where, as he puts it, ‘‘everything remains to be done’’, Sène also hoped his return would send a message to young Senegalese – especially those tempted by illegal migration – that it is possible to build a successful business that has a positive impact on the local community.

According to the FAO, Senegal produced an aquaculture output of only 1,151 tonnes in 2021. Despite this modest volume, the sector experienced a compound annual growth rate of 12.13 percent from 2000 until 2021 – reflecting the emerging potential of the industry.

Back in Senegal, Sène founded the Fisheries and Aquaculture Research and Training Institute in Thiès (IRFPA) in 2021 – the country’s first private aquaculture training centre. Alongside this, he launched the Integrated Aquaculture Farm of Thiès, a 1,500 m² facility equipped with a modern, French-inspired hatchery. The farm produces around 1.7 million tilapia and catfish fry annually, as well as hybrid chickens, vegetables, ostriches, cows and more. He is also currently pursuing a PhD at the University Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar. 

IRFPA: Senegal’s hands-on aquaculture training institute 

Sène was inspired to launch a training institute after studying in France. Despite holding a master’s degree, he found he lacked the hands-on skills of French aquaculture graduates. This pointed to a broader issue – Senegal had few options for practical aquaculture training. Public programmes focused on senior roles and private options were nonexistent. At the same time, Sène saw aquaculture’s potential to tackle food insecurity and create jobs, particularly for youth and women.

‘’I told myself: I have to change things. That's why I returned in 2021 to create this institute. But I couldn't create a practical training institute without having a working farm – so I built one,’’ Sène explains. 

IRFPA has trained over 2,500 people and also offers courses in schools and universities across cities like Kaffrine, Dakar and Kaolack. Many trainees even travel from abroad, with participants coming from France, Mauritania, Ghana and The Gambia. The centre is also supporting 60 producers who operate either fish farms or small-scale aquaculture systems in their gardens.

Beyond training, IRFPA serves as a platform for developing novel species. 

‘’For the past three years, we have been researching and developing giant freshwater prawn aquaculture. We have now succeeded and started the commercialisation of these post-larvae,’’ explains Sène. ‘’We have a partner who we have trained and supplied with post-larvae – they are now independent and manage the reproduction themselves, thanks to the institute.’’

Despite this progress, aquaculture in Senegal remains dominated by tilapia and catfish. Sène attributes the lack of diversification to limited funding access, which in turn limits research. 

‘’There are very few research institutes at the national level. And we, the research institutes, don't have enough resources to fund these studies. If we did have the resources, we would have developed other species. For example, pangasius – IRFPA has mastered the reproduction, but unfortunately, we cannot obtain broodstock, as they are too expensive,’’ explains Sène. 

The integrated farm model

Sène’s farm is about 60 kilometres east of Dakar – in a region which is home to the majority of the country’s 600 agriculture sites. The farm currently employs 22 people, including two students, seven engineers, agronomists, accountants and a technical support team. Its most sought-after outputs are high-quality fish fry and its unique strain of chickens.

The facility features a modern recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) hatchery, with a capacity of 51,200 fry per cycle, with three production cycles per month – totalling around 1.7 million tilapia and catfish fry annually.

‘’We have a modern hatchery, inspired by the Ferme Marine du Douhet hatchery, as I spent time there during my stay in France. Their model really inspired me to build this modern hatchery, with a closed circuit, equipped with biological and mechanical filters, allowing for high production of juveniles,’’ explains Sène. 

Due to space limitations, the majority of on-growing is outsourced, with only a small fraction of the fish kept on-site – accounting for approximately 1.25 tonnes annually. After hatching, larvae are transferred to a pre-growing system with an open circuit. Juveniles are then sold to customers within Senegal and in neighbouring countries.

The farm adopts a circular approach in which wastewater from the pre-growing tanks is collected and decanted, separating solids from liquid. The solids are dried and used as part of a mixture to produce biochar, while the treated water is reused to irrigate crops.

‘’The fry from our farm are of high-quality, so they are in great demand. We produce one million fry, but we are under-producing compared to national and regional needs,’’ says Sène. 

Once the fish reach market size at independent partner farms, they can be repurchased by Sène for processing at his small on-site facility, which has a capacity of 50 kg per day. The fish are transformed into a variety of products, including fillets, dried fermented fish, smoked fish, frozen fish balls and even “fish sausages”. Some farmers choose to sell their fish back to Sène, as they face challenges accessing distribution networks such as local markets. Many also have parallel livelihoods, so they prefer to concentrate on production rather than sales.

Part of the shrimp, fish and poultry feed is produced on-site. Equipped with a feed mill and an extruder, the facility uses a variety of local ingredients, including fish meal from the processing unit or local markets, rice bran, maize flour, cassava and locally grown moringa. In addition, chicken droppings are used to fertilise the ponds, promoting natural zooplankton growth. Only the hatchery relies on imported feed, as the team lacks the equipment needed to produce the high-protein starter feed required for larvae.

Poultry innovation and broader impacts

Among the farm’s lesser-known innovations is the development of a unique hybrid chicken. Conventional broilers grow quickly but often lack the rich flavour preferred by local consumers. Meanwhile, traditional breeds offer taste but little yield. To bridge the gap, Sène’s team developed a hybrid – named “rainbow” chickens – that combines fast growth with local flavour. These birds can reach up to 10 kg in six months and are now in high demand, with supply struggling to keep pace.

Reflecting on the past three years, Sène is equally proud of the institute’s track record. 

‘’The credibility of our training programmes is also such that we are truly proud to say that none of our graduates are unemployed. Both the short-term and also long-term training can lead to a state diploma. There are even graduates who, before leaving school and defending their dissertation, are hired,’’ explains Sène. 

Meanwhile, as the farm produces one million fry which are each on-grown to 500g, Sène argues that they help to add up to 500,000 kg of fish yearly into the Senegalese market. And beyond production figures, he takes particular satisfaction from the jobs the farm has created – several of his employees have since started families and become key providers in their households.

Scaling up and looking offshore

Sène’s immediate goal is to multiply the hatchery output five- to tenfold and build a more efficient processing unit to meet growing demand for products like dried fermented fish.

‘’Our production doesn't fill the gap imposed by the market. That's why we need to intensify hatchery production, going from 1 million to 5 or 10 million fry, and establish a better processing unit that will allow us to satisfy both the national and sub-regional markets,’’ says Sène. 

He also envisions replicating the farm on a larger 10-hectare site, which would enable him to employ over 100 people. But space near the current location is limited, and expansion requires financing – a key factor that’s limiting the development of the aquaculture industry in Senegal. 

‘’There is a little support from the government, but it's insufficient. At the beginning, we developed the farm with our own resources, with the money I brought from France from the many different countries I've worked in and travelled to. I came back to start the business, with my savings and with the government’s little contribution. Right now, I'm still looking for partners who will allow me to develop the business even further,’’ says Sène. 

Looking to the future, Sène envisions developing an innovative offshore farm dedicated to sea bream and Red Florida tilapia – a salt-tolerant hybrid of two Oreochromis species. This project which proposes 24 sea cages to be installed between Pointe Sarène and Mbodiène, would mark a significant step toward expanding marine aquaculture in the Senegal.  

‘’It's a very ambitious project that will be carried out offshore. We've done the environmental impact studies; we've conducted bathymetric studies with the Ferme Marine du Douhet, along with French partners, who will initially supply us with fry and feed,’’ he explains.

If realised, the farm could produce up to 7,800 tonnes of fish over five years – roughly 20 percent bream and the rest red tilapia. Sène’s long-term objective is to supply up to 30 percent of the country’s fish demand, while also easing pressure on wild stocks and creating sustainable employment in coastal communities.

‘’We already have the project in place, the studies have already been completed, all that's left is the financing, unfortunately once again,’’ he concludes.