Yalelo

Who is our client

Yalelo is a fully integrated tilapia farm in Zambia. As such, they are involved in the whole supply chain: from inputs (feed), breeding, growing, distribution to retail. The company was founded in 2011 and is a leader in the nascent aquaculture sector in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Funding objective

With this transaction FMO supports the creation of a leading regional aquaculture player, boosting local-for-local production and affordability of proteins. The financing supports the company in its next growth phase and allows it to further expand its operations across the value chain, improve efficiencies and reduce risks. This includes for example, opening new retail outlets, investing in new nets and improving bio-security.

Why we fund this project

Yalelo has a positive impact on the local economy and job creation (it currently employs over 800 people) and is contributing to the development of the broader local aquaculture sector by providing smallholder tilapia farmers with inputs and training. This transaction supports the production of affordable protein in a sustainable, innovative and profitable manner. Tilapia has a much lower carbon footprint than other proteins. The aquaculture sector has a potential transformational effect for the availability and affordability of locally produced protein. Yalelo has the potential to become a large-scale regional player and prove that it is possible to profitably and sustainably run an aquaculture business in Africa by implementing world class farming operations and a data driven scientific approach. Moreover, the company is looking to become the first ASC certified fish farm in Sub-Saharan Africa.