SmartHatch - Next-gen modular fish hatchery innovation

Responding to Ghana’s urgent challenge of sustainably increasing domestic fish supply

Project Partners: African Golden Tilapia Farm Limited, Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana, FutureFish and Multifish Alevinos (Multifish Fingerlings) 

FutureFish, an aquaculture business and knowledge broker, in partnership with the Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana and Brazilian hatchery innovator MultiFish, will implement a tri-country knowledge and technology transfer to accelerate climate-smart and sustainable aquaculture development in Ghana.  

The project introduces modular hatchery technology from Brazil through in-country co-design workshops, training, and business exchange visits. The innovation—developed and operated by MultiFish—enables sustainable, high-efficiency tilapia fingerling production using compact, lined tanks, recirculated water, and biosecure systems. It is designed to mitigate climate and biosecurity risks while reducing land and water requirements. The system allows for scalable, resource-efficient, and profitable seed production with higher survival rates, improved growth performance, and lower feed conversion ratios. The project responds to Ghana’s urgent challenge of sustainably increasing domestic fish supply. Disease, limited hatchery infrastructure, poor biosecurity, and climate vulnerabilities continue to constrain aquaculture growth. Brazilian experts from MultiFish will travel to Ghana to lead hands-on training with hatchery owners and operators.  

Three-country cooperation

The UK company FutureFish will facilitate the adaptation of the technology to the Ghanaian context and lead development of a bankable business plan. FutureFish will also apply its experience in aquaculture investment and data-driven tools to support strategy and design. The Chamber of Aquaculture Ghana, which represents over 100 farms and hosts the Blue Food Partnership Ghana Initiative with more than 50 stakeholders, will lead network mobilisation, logistics, and stakeholder engagement. Its national reach makes it the ideal partner for technology dissemination and business outreach. A no-cost private-sector partner, African Golden Tilapia Farm Limited, will contribute key in-kind support including site access, technical staff, and operational inputs. This will allow the project team to assess how the MultiFish system can be adapted and scaled. FutureFish will develop a commercial investment plan for African Golden Tilapia Farm Limited, which will also serve as an open-source business model to inform other farms, financiers, and policymakers.  

Workshops will emphasise locally sourced or regionally available materials to minimise the need for imports. Rather than promoting a one-size-fits-all solution, this project presents a flexible, modular toolkit adaptable to different farm sizes and production contexts—a critical need in a climate-stressed environment. Through structured training, site assessments, and collaborative planning, the project lays the foundation for a climate-resilient hatchery model in Ghana and sets the stage for future scale-up across West Africa. 

For more information

For more information on this project, contact us, or view all projects funded under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Partnership programme.

Innovate UK Climate-Smart Agriculture Partnership: UK-Brazil-Africa brings together innovative people and organisations to promote climate-smart agriculture in Africa.