Publication:
Harnessing the Waters: A Trillion Dollar Investment Opportunity in Sustainable Aquaculture

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
Volume I (10.4 MB)
134 downloads
Volume II (17.53 MB)
25 downloads
Published
2025-08-12
ISSN
Date
2025-10-03
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The report focuses on the following specific research questions: 1. What do historical trends tell us about the future of aquaculture in providing aquatic or blue foods? 2. What role do finance and investment play in sustainable aquaculture development? How have financial mechanisms, government, the private-sector, capacity-building, policy and regulatory frameworks, research and innovation shaped the development of aquaculture industries? 3. How have different jurisdictions and technologies resolved various technical, social, and environmental challenges over the years? How have successes and failures influenced growth in each industry, and what actions resolved them? 4. What are the development pathways of selected aquaculture value chains, and what insights can be gained from the roles of public and private finance in their start-up and growth? 5. What are the risks, opportunities, and rewards for aquaculture financiers? 6. What lessons can be learned to establish effective enabling conditions that facilitate financial investment in sustainable aquaculture endeavors? How can real-world experiences guide future investments in sustainable aquaculture? This report analyzes seven mature aquaculture industries across countries, exploring how finance and investment, government, the private-sector, capacity-building, policy and regulatory frameworks, research and innovation and different players have shaped their development. The intended audience for this report is a range of public and private financial institutions and multilateral banks, as well as governments, philanthropies, and individuals seeking to enable greater aquaculture investments in one or more regions.
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2025. Harnessing the Waters: A Trillion Dollar Investment Opportunity in Sustainable Aquaculture. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/43575 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Niger : Towards Water Resource Management
    (Washington, DC, 2000-06-30) World Bank
    The study reviews Niger's water resources, and planning process, through its short- and medium-term water investment program, and priorities in the water supply, and sanitation sector. Critical challenges are examined for improving its complex water resources management to support economic growth, given its landlocked situation, with diffuse, and mostly rural population, and immense, untapped fossil aquifer supplies. Despite multiple surface water basins, very little precipitation occur, thus the government has recently undertaken a ten-year process of preparing a water resource management investment strategy, one that requires financial resources currently unavailable. Information and data management, institutional arrangements, and the legal, and regulatory framework is analyzed to achieve a feasible master plan, and strengthen implications for the water sub-sectors. Recommendations suggest the development of financing mechanisms, consistent with sustainable management of water resources, in line with strengthening water data collection, and information systems.
  • Publication
    Mozambique - Analysis of Public Expenditure in Agriculture : Core Analysis
    (World Bank, 2011-02-19) World Bank
    The objective of this Agriculture Public Expenditure Review (AgPER) is to provide an assessment of the present situation and to offer recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public spending in agriculture in Mozambique. The report provides a sectorwide picture of the magnitude and structure of public spending for agriculture in Mozambique over the past six years, and an overall assessment of the budget process in agriculture. It is intended that this analysis will inform future decisions over priority public expenditures for agriculture and the shifts in expenditure allocations and other measures that are necessary to make the most effective and efficient use of government budgetary resources and donors' contributions in the agriculture sector. The information is also meant to inform the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) secretariat about the level and structure of spending in agriculture in Mozambique, and help the Ministry of Agriculture; since 2005 (MINAG) to report suitable figures to NEPAD. The report discusses the budget process in agriculture (budget planning, execution, and reporting) and the linkages between agricultural sector policies and strategy and public expenditures. It suggests possible ways to raise the effectiveness and efficiency of current public spending in agriculture, with a view to enhancing its contribution to Mozambique's economic growth and poverty reduction objectives. An analysis of the spatial pattern of expenditure is also provided. Some emphasis is placed on the adequacy of data sources and planning and on the budgeting procedures necessary in order to continuously align expenditure to objectives, and to maximize their impact. The report also draws some broad conclusions with regard to key options of agricultural policy on the basis of the data collected and available information on the relationship between costs and effects of selected activity strata.
  • Publication
    Republic of Togo Basic Agricultural Public Expenditure Diagnostic Review
    (Washington, DC, 2012-01) World Bank
    After 15 years of political stagnation due to political troubles from 1990 to 2005, Togo is now enjoying political stability and economical revival. Agricultural sector is doing especially well and the government is reviewing the public expenditures in this domain. The goal is to learn lessons from the past in terms of budget and to increase the performances of the programs to come. The objectives of this document are: a) better understand how the country is performing in agriculture; b) learn lessons from the past in terms of budgetary execution in agriculture to make new programs more effective; c) increase the knowledge of the government and his partners on their resources so they can make knowledgeable decisions regarding the agriculture budget; and d) contribute to the internalization of the review of public expenditures.
  • Publication
    Science, Technology, and Innovation in Uganda : Recommendations for Policy and Action
    (World Bank, 2011) Brar, Sukhdeep; Farley, Sara E.; Hawkins, Robert; Wagner, Caroline S.
    Between 2006 and 2010 the World Bank sought to unmask the role of science, technology, and innovation in Ugandan industry. This report presents insights from this research based on case studies of six sectors: agriculture, health, energy, information and communication technology (ICT), transport, and logistics. Based on more than 80 interviews cutting across Uganda's small and medium-sized enterprises, universities, and government entities, the report's findings are intended to offer the government and its partners in industry increased clarity about how better to harness science, technology, and innovation to propel the economy. Enabling implementation of the recent Uganda national science, technology, and innovation policy is a parallel goal of the report. The policy articulates the government's intent to foster research and development that builds the human capital that Uganda requires for a knowledge-based economy. The case studies from which this report's recommendations are drawn depict a diverse range of experiences across industrial sectors in terms of generating, applying, and adapting science and technology to contribute to Uganda's development. Despite the relatively small size of the country's investments in science and technology, the past 20 years have seen considerable advances in building capacity in science and technology, developing related institutions and human resources, advancing collaboration and communication, and expanding the base of available knowledge. But given Uganda's limited investments in science and technology, policies should prioritize near-term investments that benefit key sectors. This report identifies those near-term investments as well as longer-term ones (three to five years in the future).
  • Publication
    Philippines : Country Water Resources Assistance Strategy 2003
    (Washington, DC, 2003-06) World Bank
    The Water Resources Sector Strategy (WRSS) supports implementation of the Bank's 1993 Water Resources Management Policy, using the experience updated internationally, with water resources and management. This country Water Resources Assistance Strategy (CWRAS) identifies the Philippines principal water resource challenges, the current situation, how the Bank is assisting at present, and what it should in the future. In summary this strategy can be summarized as follows: 1) Bank assistance should translate the rhetoric of water conservation, and sustainability, into practical-realistic programs, and policies; 2) focus should be on promoting cooperation of local government units (LGUs), and water users themselves, and, on following a "bottom-up and top-down" approach, that includes active participation of water users, in addition to developing infrastructure, and management into water resources projects; 3) water resource management (WRM) initiatives should respect cultural practices, which have evolved to provide sustainable WRM in a micro-watershed context. Indigenous water systems provide clues to how WRM should be rooted in the socio-cultural context; and, 4) prioritize support for the use of economic instruments in managing river basins, facilitating private sector participation I the water supply and sanitation sector, and supporting the decentralization of responsibilities for WRM.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Central Bank Independence and Sovereign Borrowing
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-25) Athanasopoulos, Angelos; Fraccaroli, Nicolò; Kern, Andreas; Romelli, Davide
    This paper studies the impact of central bank independence on sovereign borrowing, using an index that captures institutional constraints on central bank lending to the government across 155 countries from 1972 to 2023. The findings show that tighter lending to the executive significantly reduces sovereign interest rates and raises the debt-to-gross domestic product ratio in developing countries. These effects reflect the executive’s improved ability to borrow at lower costs under greater central bank independence. The results are robust to multiple tests, but there are no significant effects in advanced economies. From a policy perspective, the results highlight the key role of independent central banks as catalysts for reducing governments’ borrowing costs and enhancing the government’s borrowing capacity.
  • Publication
    External Finance in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies: A Tale of Differences in Vulnerabilities
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-12-04) Kim, Dohan; Milesi-Ferretti, Gian Maria
    Over the past two decades, many emerging markets and developing economies have been viewed as increasingly resilient to external financial shocks. This paper assesses whether such resilience is broadly shared across emerging markets and developing economies by classifying them into three tiers based on economic size, income level, institutional strength, and financial integration. The analysis shows that first-tier emerging markets and developing economies have improved their external balance sheets and reduced dependence on official support. However, second- and third-tier emerging markets and developing economies have experienced growing external vulnerabilities since the global financial crisis, marked by rising external debt liabilities and declining foreign exchange reserves. Using a range of indicators, including sovereign defaults, arrears, partial defaults, and International Monetary Fund lending, the paper identifies episodes of external financial distress and shows that distress remains widespread among second- and third-tier emerging markets and developing economies. The empirical analysis confirms that key components of the net international investment position—especially external debt and foreign exchange reserves—predict the onset of external financial distress, with institutional quality shaping the impact. Weak institutions amplify risks, while strong institutions mitigate them. These findings highlight the importance of recognizing heterogeneity across emerging markets and developing economies, strengthening institutional quality alongside external balance-sheet management, and rebuilding buffers to safeguard against renewed global financial stress.
  • Publication
    Just Transition Tool for Private Sector Activities
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-07-24) World Bank
    The transition to a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy is urgently needed to mitigate the profound impacts of climate change. However, this essential transition presents one of the greatest socioeconomic challenges of our era, particularly in terms of employment. Millions of workers in fossil fuel and carbon intensive sectors face the risks of displacement and economic hardship, with profound implications for their livelihoods, families, and communities. Thus, successfully managing this transition requires placing the creation, protection, and enhancement of high-quality jobs at the heart of climate policy, economic restructuring, and development strategies. A just transition embodies this employment-centered approach, recognizing that social fairness, inclusivity, and economic stability must be integral to the climate response. To avoid exacerbating existing inequalities or creating new forms of economic instability, governments, businesses, and stakeholders must prioritize comprehensive strategies explicitly designed to maintain employment, create new sustainable job opportunities, and support workforce adaptation. Given that the private sector accounts for approximately 90 percent of employment in many developing countries, including formal enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and informal jobs, its active involvement is not merely beneficial but critical. The private sector’s investment, innovation, and operational decisions significantly affect whether transitioning economies will achieve equitable and sustainable employment outcomes or suffer from increased unemployment, economic stagnation, and social unrest. The Just Transition Tool for Private Sector Activities provides actionable guidance to policymakers for developing place-based economic strategies that leverage the private sector to deliver employment opportunities during a low-carbon transition. While many just transition frameworks acknowledge the importance of private sector engagement, this tool puts firms at the center of the conversation and focuses on practical policies to address transition-related opportunities for workers, as well as suppliers and communities.
  • Publication
    Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Exposure Indices Methodological Note
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-08-19) Maliszewska, M.; Fischer, C.; Jung, E.; Chepeliev, M.
    The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) aims to level the playing field by applying the same carbon price faced by domestic producers under the Emission Trading System to the emissions embodied in certain imported goods. Differences in emissions intensity between EU and developing-economy producers will then influence the competitiveness of firms in developing economies exporting aluminum, cement, electricity, fertilizer, iron and steel, and hydrogen to the EU. Indicators are developed to assess the potential exposure of developing economies to the CBAM, using measures of excess carbon payments relative to EU producers expressed as shares of total exports, gross sectoral output, and GDP. Although macroeconomic impacts are expected to be small, some countries (like Mozambique in aluminum and Egypt in fertilizer) could see economically meaningful reductions in competitiveness in the EU market. A few countries with relatively low emission intensity of production may stand to gain market share.
  • Publication
    Shifting Shores
    (MIGA, World Bank, Washington DC, 2024-12-10) Nebe, Moritz; Economou, Persephone; Abruzzese, Leo
    Foreign direct investment (FDI) has powered prosperity in developing countries for decades. Yet FDI, once a reliable contributor to economic growth, a conduit for the transfer of technology and innovation, and a link to domestic and international markets, has slowed in recent years as shocks have multiplied. Global commercial competition, supply chain disruptions during and after the pandemic, less efficient transportation and shipping routes due to conflicts, and policies aimed at encouraging investment at home are increasingly shaping the flow of FDI. A half-century of global economic integration, driven by trade and FDI and the search for markets, natural resources, and low labor and input costs, is shifting to a more uncertain investment environment. This new world of FDI is increasingly defined by near-shoring, friend-shoring, and reshoring, each a way to gain greater control and ensure the resilience of supply chains and access to markets. As a result, FDI is relocating, with the shifts influenced by factors determined by geopolitical proximity and traditional location-specific determinants. Consequently, some emerging markets and developing countries (EMDEs) may attract less FDI, while others stand to benefit from their geopolitical or trade alliances. Although anecdotal reports of FDI relocation in specific countries are common, the scope of this trend remains uncertain. Questions such as the extent of FDI relocations, the permanence of these trends, and which countries stand to benefit the most are yet to be fully answered. To help understand these developments and the challenges they raise, this report presents new evidence based on the findings of a survey of investment promotion agencies. These national organizations shepherd billions of dollars of FDI annually through the global economy. We also examine FDI shifts through third countries for geopolitical reasons. The conclusions suggest that nearshoring and friend-shoring-driven relocations are increasingly shaping the FDI landscape.