In Kwale County, Kenya, Mwanakombo Bakari has found a way to earn three times more from her fish business: turning dagaa into a ready-to-eat product that meets her customers’ preferences.
For years, Mwanakombo sold fish at Milalani Shopping Centre in Kwale County. She understood her customers and had built a business around selling fresh fish. But she saw an opportunity to earn more by doing something different with the fish she sold.
“I realised I could do more with the fish I was already selling. Instead of selling it as it was, I could prepare it in a way that customers would prefer,” she says.
That thinking led her to venture into value addition. Through her business, Popo Fish Farm, Mwanakombo now prepares ready-to-eat dagaa, seasoning it with spices, garlic, chilli and vegetables that appeal to her market.
A familiar product, more value
Mwanakombo’s ready-to-eat dagaa offers customers a convenient alternative to preparing the fish themselves. For her, it has opened up an opportunity to earn more from a product she has sold for years.
Today, she sells a 500-gramme pack for KES 700, and her income has tripled since she began adding value.
“Customers want something convenient, and I want to give them a product they enjoy while making my business more profitable,” she says.
The shift has changed how she approaches business growth. Rather than relying solely on selling more fish, she is creating a product that offers additional value to customers and greater earning potential for her business.
Looking beyond her current market
Mwanakombo now hopes to expand her business and reach more customers, including across borders. To do so, she needs equipment to support production and the certification required to access regional markets.
“I want to reach more customers, but I need the right equipment and certification to take my business to the next level,” she says.
Through the Women and Youth Economic Empowerment in Fisheries through Inclusive Market Access (WYFEEMA) Programme, Mwanakombo has also engaged with government representatives and other fisheries stakeholders, sharing her experience and learning about opportunities in the sector.
Her journey reflects the programme’s ambition to help women and youth build more profitable fisheries businesses, add value to their products and access wider markets.
For Mwanakombo, the opportunity lay in looking beyond selling fish to discovering how much more her business could gain by transforming it.