Kisumu, Kenya – On 11th April 2025, the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization (LVFO) convened the 7th Regular Session of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sectoral Council of Ministers in Kisumu City, Republic of Kenya. This high-level meeting brought together ministers and cabinet secretaries responsible for fisheries, aquaculture, and East African Community (EAC) affairs from the four LVFO Partner States: the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania, and the Republic of Uganda.
The Ministerial session was preceded by a series of coordination and senior officials' meetings held from 7th to 10th April 2025, during which key technical and strategic issues concerning the sustainable management and development of fisheries and aquaculture in Lake Victoria were thoroughly discussed.
A landmark outcome of the Council was the unanimous agreement to disburse USD 1.6 million, contributed by the LVFO Partner States, to support a long-overdue lake-wide operation aimed at removing illegal fishing gears and restoring the declining Nile perch stocks. The Council directed that the finalization of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Republics of Uganda and Kenya be expedited to allow the operation to commence without further delay.
This funding commitment dates back to 2009, when the Council of Ministers from the three riparian states of Lake Victoria agreed to jointly contribute for a coordinated 14-day operation across the lake. The goal: eliminate illegal fishing practices and reverse the alarming decline of the Nile perch, a cornerstone species for the lake’s ecosystem and economy. By July 2020, all Partner States had fulfilled their financial commitments. Since then, the LVFO Secretariat, in close collaboration with national agencies, has developed and revised an implementation workplan, guided by successive Council decisions.
The Kisumu meeting represents a renewed commitment by the region’s leadership to protect Lake Victoria’s fisheries, bolster food security, and support the livelihoods of millions who depend on the lake’s resources.
