Digital market place set to transform fisheries trade

DAR ES SALAAM: FOR generations, Tanzania’s fisheries trade has relied on face to face negotiations, informal brokers and fragmented supply chains that often left fishers with little bargaining power and buyers struggling to secure reliable supplies.

Today, that model is beginning to change.

The government has invested 185,000 US dollars in TANFISH Market, a digital trading platform designed to modernise fish marketing, improve price transparency and connect fishers directly with processors, exporters, hotels and institutional buyers.

Although still in its early stages, the platform represents a broader shift towards digitalising Tanzania’s blue economy, where technology is increasingly viewed as a tool for improving productivity, attracting investment and expanding market access.

Within its first year, TANFISH Market has registered more than 500 users and facilitated nearly two metric tonnes of fish sales.

Developers now aim to increase monthly trading volumes to 10 tonnes, a milestone they believe will demonstrate the commercial viability of digital fish trading.

Developed jointly by the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) and the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), the platform forms part of Tanzania’s wider strategy to modernise fisheries while reducing inefficiencies that have long constrained the industry’s growth.

Despite its importance to food security, employment and export earnings, Tanzania’s fisheries sector continues to face structural challenges, including fragmented markets, inadequate cold storage, weak logistics, limited financing and post-harvest losses.

Researchers behind TANFISH Market believe digital technology can help address many of those constraints by improving market information, shortening supply chains and creating transparent business records that financial institutions can trust.

“Fisheries remain a critical sector for Tanzania’s economy, contributing to food security, nutrition, employment and livelihoods for millions of people,” said Dr Nyabenyi Tipo, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) representative in Tanzania.

She noted that many smallscale fishers and processors continue to struggle because of limited market access, poor information, climate-related challenges, illegal fishing and inadequate financing.

“The TANFISH Digital Market System demonstrates how digital transformation can bridge the gap between producers, aggregators and buyers by improving access to market information, increasing transparency, reducing inefficiencies and strengthening business relationships across the value chain,” Dr Tipo said.

The project has been implemented in phases. According to Prof Abdi Abdalla, Principal Investigator of TANFISH Market, the first phase received approximately 110,000 US dollars to design, develop and launch the platform.

A further 75,000 US dollars has been allocated to improve system functionality, expand its user base and train fisheries stakeholders to encourage wider adoption.

Unlike conventional fish trading systems, where transactions often depend on brokers and informal arrangements, TANFISH brings together fishers, traders, processors, exporters, hotels and institutional buyers on one digital marketplace.

“Our objective was to use digital technology to connect fisheries stakeholders, improve market access, increase transparency and strengthen competition through an integrated platform,” Prof Abdalla said.

The marketplace is one component of the broader FISH4ACP programme implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations with funding from the European Union.

Beyond digital marketing, the initiative also supports technologies that identify productive fishing grounds, improve navigation and safety, promote smart fishing practices and strengthen fisheries management.

Government officials argue that improving markets is just as important as increasing production.

Deputy Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, Prof Mohamed Sheikh said Tanzania’s extensive fisheries resources including the Indian Ocean, major lakes, rivers and reservoirs provide enormous opportunities to expand the country’s blue economy.

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However, he cautioned that increasing catches alone will not maximise economic returns.

“A fisher can work hard, but without reliable storage, transport and fair markets, much of that value is lost,” Prof Sheikh said.

The government’s strategy is therefore shifting towards strengthening the entire fisheries value chain from harvesting and processing to storage, transportation, marketing and digital trade.

For the University of Dar es Salaam, digital marketplaces solve one of the industry’s most persistent problems: Connecting supply with demand.

Vice-Chancellor Prof William Anangisye said technology creates a meeting point where fishers gain better market access, buyers secure reliable supplies, financial institutions identify bankable businesses and government benefits from a more productive sector.

“The success of TANFISH Market will not be measured by the number of users online,” he said.

“It will be measured by the businesses it creates, the markets it opens and the incomes it generates.”

Financial institutions are also beginning to see opportunities. As digital transactions create more transparent trading histories, banks gain stronger data to assess borrowers, reducing one of the biggest obstacles to lending in agriculture and fisheries.

CRDB Bank Head of Agribusiness, Mr Maregesi Shaaban said the bank had extended 3.99tri/- in agricultural financing by July 2026, accounting for about 45 per cent of all agricultural lending by banks in Tanzania.

Part of that financing is supporting fisheries through loans for modern fishing equipment, fish processing facilities and solar-powered drying technologies that improve product quality while reducing post-harvest losses.

The bank is also encouraging fishers to organise themselves into groups, making it easier to access both working capital and long-term investment financing.

Mr Shaaban added that CRDB is working with stakeholders, including the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, which has established a 60bn/- guarantee fund to improve access to credit for fisheries businesses.

The bank is also developing financing models tailored to individual fishers, cooperatives and larger commercial operators, helping connect small producers with major processors and exporters.

Yet analysts caution that the real test lies ahead. Many digital marketplaces launch successfully but struggle to scale commercially once initial funding ends.

For TANFISH Market to become sustainable, it will need a critical mass of users, efficient logistics, robust quality assurance systems, continued access to finance and, perhaps most importantly, sustained trust among buyers and sellers.

If those conditions are met, the benefits could extend well beyond higher fish sales.

A fully functioning digital marketplace would improve price discovery, reduce transaction costs, formalise trade, strengthen business records and increase incomes for thousands of fishing households.

More broadly, it would demonstrate how digital innovation can transform traditional industries and accelerate Tanzania’s ambitions to build a competitive blue economy.

For a sector that has long relied on informal trading, the future may increasingly be decided not at the landing site, but on a smartphone.