Yamoussa Bangoura , Arnauld Sèdjro Martin Djissou , Sâa Moussa Kamano , Mohammed Nambyl Adéoti Fagbémi , Kandè Bangoura

1 Département de Pêche et Aquaculture, Institut Supérieur des Sciences et de Médecine Vétérinaire de Dalaba, Dalaba, Guinea
2 Guinea Maritime and Coastal Research Centre, Conakry, Guinea
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 5   
Received: 01 Sep., 2026    Accepted: 15 Oct., 2026    Published: 24 Oct., 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Driven by the combined pressures of population growth, water scarcity, land degradation, and climate change, integrated aquaculture and aquaponics are emerging as promising avenues for sustainable intensification in Africa. This review assesses the status of these two approaches across the continent, compares their technical, economic, environmental, and social performance, identifies constraints and innovations, and proposes a sustainable development framework linked to the Sustainable Development Goals. The methodology follows PRISMA guidelines, applied to six databases (Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar) covering the period 2010-2026. After removing duplicates and screening titles and abstracts, 133 documents were read in full, and 56 were selected for the synthesis, a retention rate of approximately 42%. The body of literature reveals significant geographical disparity: Egypt, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria account for many publications and pilot projects, whereas Central Africa and much of Francophone West Africa remain under-documented. Nile tilapia and African catfish are the dominant species, paired in aquaponics systems with leafy vegetables and tomatoes. Zootechnical performance generally matches that of conventional intensive systems, offering water savings of 70% to over 95% and effective effluent utilization; however, profitability remains inconsistent, hampered by investment costs and energy instability. While the potential to enhance food security, nutrition, employment (particularly for youth and women), and climate adaptation is substantial, it is constrained by technical, institutional, financial, and training-related barriers. The proposed framework integrates local resources, appropriately scaled governance, frugal innovation, and social inclusion.

Aquaponics; Integrated aquaculture; Circular economy; Food security; Sustainable development goals