In the fishing communities of Mtwara, southeastern Tanzania, seaweed farming has long been a way of life. Yet for many women and youth, the harvest rarely translated into meaningful income — the skills and market connections needed to move beyond raw production simply were not there.
That began to change in February 2026, the Women and Youth Economic Empowerment in Fisheries through Inclusive Market Access (WYEEFIMA) program conducted a hands-on value addition training in Mtwara, bringing together 89 women and youth from Naumbu and Pemba Pwani villages. Participants were trained in processing seaweed into marketable products — soap, shampoo, and food items — with sessions designed to build practical skills in product quality, shelf life, and market readiness.
Among the participants was Nurdin Hemed Mwena, 29, a seaweed farmer looking for a way forward.
"I had always dreamed of starting my own business," he says. "But I never knew where to begin."
The training marked that beginning. Following the sessions, 41 participants from Naumbu village formed a group business to produce and sell seaweed products, using training materials as startup capital. Their first sales generated 571,500 Tanzanian Shillings, which the group reinvested into a second production batch — a clear signal of both market demand and collective determination.
Nurdin took his own step. He relocated to Msijute Village and established a seaweed-based body jelly enterprise, starting with an investment of 54,000 Tanzanian Shillings. He produced 38 bottles and sold 28 within weeks, earning 84,000 Tanzanian Shillings — and validating a business model he intends to grow.
"The market here is promising," he says. "I plan to expand into soap and other products as I grow my capital."
The Naumbu group shares that ambition. They are actively seeking seaweed flour and soap-making machines to increase production capacity and reduce costs — with their sights set firmly on markets beyond their village and region.
"We are now selling within our village and nearby communities," says Nurdin, speaking on behalf of the group. "But our goal is to formalise and expand beyond regional and national borders."
These outcomes reflect the broader ambitions of the Women and Youth Economic Empowerment in Fisheries through Inclusive Market Access (WYEEFIMA) programme — a four-year initiative led by TradeMark Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The programme is being implemented across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Zambia, Nigeria, 11 key border crossings, and selected island states in Africa. Kilimo Trust is part of the consortium delivering the fish cross-border trade workstream in Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, and Tanzania.
The programme seeks to dismantle structural barriers that prevent women and youth from fully participating in the fisheries value chain, thereby enhancing their potential for economic growth. Through training, supply chain strengthening, digital solutions, simplified trade regulations, standards enforcement, and cross-border market access facilitation, WYEEFIMA is creating pathways from subsistence to enterprise. The target is to create or enable over 240,000 meaningful, sustainable, and decent jobs by 2028.
For the women and youth of Naumbu, that pathway is already open.