The Dried Fish/Food Company
Produces solar dried fish products
The enterprise purchases frozen horse mackerel from local factories and dries it in a solar energy process. The fish is then transported in bulk to outlets run by WEDI, a women’s cooperative, which owns the exclusive distribution rights. The enterprise’s primary focus is on rural areas. It is replicable across Africa. WEDI has enterprises across Namibia’s 14 regions. The dried fish is an additional, exclusive, high-demand product, complementing the existing activities of WEDI entrepreneurs.
Eco-Inclusive Impacts
The Dried Fish/Food Company empowers women entrepreneurs as they form the primary distributors of the dried fish products whilst also working towards reducing the economic gender gap.
- Improving security of nutrition, especially during periods of drought or food shortages. The product represents an affordable alternative source of protein and is easy to store.
- Improving gender equity and the empowerment of women by providing training and capacity-building in business development and dried fish processing.
- Reducing the carbon footprint by using 70 % solar energy to dry the fish.
- Decreasing waste by using fish waste to make fertiliser.
- Reduce climate vulnerability through protein source diversification.
- Creating rural jobs in dried fish facilities – WEDI women are the primary distributors.
- Aiming to sell 166 tons of dried fish each year in a minimum case scenario.
- Spreading the benefi ts of Namibia’s marine resources to needy inland communities.
Partners
Working in partnership with a community organisation that empowers women entrepreneurs, this enterprise manages a value-added fish and food processing facility that focuses on solar dried products. They provide day-to-day food for rural and urban communities, proactively managing food security. As women are the primary distributors of the dried fish the enterprise is also working towards reducing the economic gender gap.
The Women’s Enterprise Development Initiative (WEDI) sells and distributes the dried fish to communities in rural areas of Namibia. It thus plays an integral part in the Dried Fish / Food Company’s operating model.
Kakukutu Fisheries CC is a horse mackerel quota holder, co-owned by one of the directors of the Dried Fish / Food Company. The company plays a vital role in securing supplies of horse mackerel.
Nakape Investments (Pty) Ltd are strategic partners who transport the fresh fish from Walvis Bay to the commercial fish drying factory, and subsequently transport the dried fish to WEDI.
