Background
Sierra Leone possesses considerable potential for aquaculture development due to its extensive coastline, abundant inland water bodies, and favorable agro-ecological conditions. Aquaculture is increasingly recognized as a critical pathway to improving national food security, nutrition, and livelihoods, particularly under the Government’s Feed Salone strategy. However, the sector remains underdeveloped and highly vulnerable to climate change, which is intensifying existing challenges related to environmental management, land degradation, and weak spatial planning systems.
Climate variability and change, manifested through erratic rainfall patterns, increased flooding, prolonged dry spells, rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and saltwater intrusion, are undermining aquatic ecosystems and aquaculture productivity. These impacts affect water availability, water quality, fish breeding cycles, and the physical integrity of aquaculture infrastructure such as ponds and canals. Coastal aquaculture systems are particularly exposed to salinity intrusion and flooding, while inland systems face increasing risks from sedimentation, erosion, and hydrological instability.
These climate stresses are compounded by the limited use of climate-informed spatial planning tools. Despite the suitability of inland valley swamps and lowland areas for aquaculture, poor land-use planning, competing land demands, and the absence of aquaculture zoning have led to suboptimal site selection and land-use conflicts. The limited application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to integrate climate, environmental, and socio-economic data has constrained the country’s ability to identify climate-resilient aquaculture zones. As a result, investments in aquaculture often face high climate and environmental risks, threatening long-term sustainability and returns.
CTCN Support
While Sierra Leone has demonstrated growing policy commitment to climate-resilient aquaculture through initiatives such as the Feed Salone Strategy, NDCs, coastal resilience programs, and donor-supported projects, significant technology and capacity gaps persist. Environmental, hydrological, land-use, and climate datasets remain fragmented, outdated, or inaccessible, and GIS infrastructure within the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources is limited. A shortage of trained geospatial and climate-risk professionals, weak inter-agency data sharing, and inadequate digital infrastructure further constrain effective spatial planning and decision-making for aquaculture development.
CTCN technical assistance will directly address these barriers by supporting the development and deployment of a climate-smart, multi-criteria GIS-based aquaculture zoning tool. This technical assistance will integrate current and projected climate risks with environmental, land-use, and socio-economic data to generate a robust suitability index for aquaculture site selection. In parallel, CTCN support will strengthen institutional capacity through targeted training of national technical staff and extension officers, establish data-sharing and maintenance protocols across ministries, and align aquaculture zoning efforts with national adaptation priorities and regional initiatives such as WACA. This integrated approach will translate policy ambitions into practical, climate-informed planning and investment decisions.
Expected Outcome
The expected outcome of the technical assistance is an operational, nationally owned climate-smart aquaculture zoning system that enables Sierra Leone to identify, plan, and manage aquaculture development in a climate-resilient and sustainable manner. Through the delivery of comprehensive geospatial data layers, climate projections, a multi-criteria suitability index, and an interactive web-based GIS decision-support platform, national institutions will be better equipped to guide public and private aquaculture investments, reduce climate and environmental risks, and improve land and water-use governance. Strengthened technical capacity, standardized data-sharing frameworks, and practical decision-support tools will ensure long-term usability, supporting resilient livelihoods, enhanced food security, and sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector under changing climate conditions.
Seeking Experts
The CTCN invites qualified experts and firms to submit Expressions of Interest (EOI) to participate in this initiative. For further information on this opportunity, visit the UN Global Market Place (UNGM) or the UN website.
If you are not yet a member of the CTCN Network, you can apply to join here.
