Boost to Fisheries Sector as NAFAA Breaks Ground for Hatchery in Bomi
May 11,2025
By Laymah Kollie
Bomi: In efforts to improve the fishery sector in Liberia, the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NAFAA) during the weekend broke grounds for an aquaculture hatchery in Klay, Bomi County.
The activity is part of the Liberia Sustainable Management of Fisheries Project, supported by World Bank. The newly modernized Klay Hatchery, when completed, will be a state-of-the-art facility, designed to meet the highest technical and environmental standards.
It will include advanced breeding systems, recirculating water technologies, and sustainable seed production methods. It will have dedicated spawning areas for tilapia, catfish, and Heterosis, with annual production targets of 45 million tilapia fingerlings and an additional 1.5 million fingerlings of catfish and Heterosis.
This level of output will revolutionize fish farming in Liberia, ensuring that high-quality seed is readily available to farmers across the country. Originally established in the 1980s by the American Peace Corps, the Klay Hatchery once served as a vital hub for fingerling production and aquaculture training not just for Liberia, but for aquaculture practitioners across the region.
It stood as a beacon of innovation and shared learning, until it was tragically disrupted by civil conflict and financial challenges. Giving overview of the project, Mr. Zizi Kpadeh, Director of Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries stated that beyond production, this facility will serve as a center of learning and innovation.
He noted the Center of Excellence will include administrative offices, an outdoor training ground, a laboratory, and modern accommodations for trainees and researchers. It will also house a quarantine zone to safeguard our aquatic environment from diseases and invasive species, and a feed mill with a daily production capacity of 10 tons, ensuring affordable, high-quality feed for commercial and smallholder farmers alike.
Adding “the administrative complex will host office space for senior staff, a conference room for up to 30 participants, and comprehensive lodging and dining facilities. The entire site is being designed not just as a hatchery, but as a living, breathing engine for national aquaculture development; a place where young people can be trained, where farmers can access reliable inputs, and where Liberia can take bold steps toward food self-sufficiency and economic empowerment”.
In further remarks, NAFAA Acting Director General Cyrus Saygbe lamented that for far too long, Liberian fish farmers have struggled with limited access to affordable, high-quality fingerlings. Stressing that this persistent challenge has suppressed production, inflated operational costs, and hindered the growth of what is inherently one of Liberia’s most promising industries. “But today, we take a bold step forward. The reconstruction of the Klay Hatchery marks the beginning of a new chapter one defined by accessibility, empowerment, and growth.
No longer will our farmers face prolonged delays or the financial strain of importing fingerlings. Very soon, they will benefit from reliable, commercial-grade fingerlings produced right here at home”.
Meanwhile, Amb Charles Snetter of the Minister of State spoke on behalf of President Joseph Boakai. He emphasized that the Klay Fish Hatchery is more than a construction project but a symbol of the Government’s commitment to food security, rural development, and economic opportunity.
“This work aligns closely with President Boakai’s Agenda for Change, especially in the areas of agriculture, rural transformation, and national self-reliance”. He then encouraged the people of Bomi to embrace the facility.
