How Ajari, Colleagues are Transforming Fish Farming Industry

Fish farming holds immense potential to meet Nigeria’s yearly demand for fish, reducing the need for costly imports.

In a statement, it was noted that with precision farming tools like the Smart Pond (SP), Emmanuel Ajari and his team at Pysis Technologies are pioneering a transformative shift in the fish farming industry across Africa.

The statement remarked that Emmanuel Ajari, the Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Pysis Technologies brings a wealth of experience and expertise in IoT solutions, AI, and smart systems technologies.

The statement revealed that Ajari engineering background and dedication to agricultural advancement culminated in the inception of the Smart Pond idea back in November 2018, in collaboration with Oluwatoyin Ogundeji, the Chief Executive Officer, and co-founder of Pysis Technologies.

The statement further explained that despite initial challenges such as limited funding and data infrastructure, the Smart Pond idea gained momentum with the support of initiatives like the Business Idea for Development (BID) entrepreneurship program by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in May 2022.
The statement remarked that the programme provided crucial resources for market research and product development, propelling the Smart Pond towards commercial viability.

The statement added that in recognition of their innovation, Ajari and his team received the 4th Industrial Revolution Technology Application (4IRTA) Award from the Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation, and Digital Economy in January
2024.

The statement remarked that the award not only honours their achievements, but also positions Pysis Technologies to scale the Smart Pond solution for widespread accessibility among smallholder fish farmers across Africa.

Emmanuel noted that the Smart Pond addresses critical challenges faced by the fish farming industry, including the US ban on Nigerian fish exports due to compliance issues, adding that by enabling real-time monitoring and automated compliance checks, the Smart Pond streamlines certification processes and ensures quality verification for successful exports.

According to the statement: “Moreover, the Smart Pond tackles inefficiencies in water management, high energy demands, and the ageing workforce in fish farming. Traditional methods of assessing fish growth rates are labour-intensive and imprecise, leading to suboptimal decision-making by farmers. Theft and resource wastage further compound these challenges, resulting in significant losses annually.

“The Smart Pond’s innovative features, such as remote water condition assessment, automated cycling, precision feeding with analytics, and growth rate monitoring, empower farmers to optimise yields and reduce production costs. Acting as a Technology Co-Pilot, the Smart Pond collaborates closely with farmers to achieve desired production endpoints, ushering in a new era of sustainable and efficient fish farming practices in Africa.

“The Smart Pond is not just a technological solution; it’s a catalyst for progress, resilience, and prosperity in Africa’s agriculture sector. Through Emmanuel Ajari’s visionary leadership and Pysis Technologies’ commitment to innovation, the Smart Pond is set to revolutionize fish farming and contribute significantly to food security across the continent.”