About Laj Aquaculture & farmacology
Our Mission
At Laj Aquaculture & Farmacology, our mission is to help close Nigeria’s significant fish supply gap by building a scalable, science-driven African catfish farming, hatchery, feed production, processing and export business.
Nigeria’s demand for fish remains far greater than local supply. In 2021, national fish demand was estimated at 3.6 million metric tonnes, with only about 38.1% met through domestic fisheries and aquaculture, leaving an unmet demand of around 62%, valued at approximately $1.02 billion. Much of this deficit has historically been filled through imported frozen fish.
Our mission is to contribute to solving this problem by expanding local aquaculture production, improving access to high-quality African catfish, supporting food security, creating jobs, building local technical capacity, and developing export-ready fish products for regional and international markets.
We are committed to growing from a Nigerian aquaculture enterprise into a globally recognised African fish brand. Starting with farms in Lafia and Kaduna, we are developing an integrated model that combines:
- hatchery and fingerling production;
- nursery and grow-out systems;
- in-house feed milling;
- processing and smoked/dried fish production;
- training and technical capacity building;
- Nigerian compliance readiness;
- export development, with the United Kingdom as a key destination market.
Our philosophy is simple: start small, build scientifically, scale responsibly, and grow from local impact to global opportunity.
Our Team
At Laj Aquaculture & Farmacology, our team is led by Dr Jonathan Ajah, Founder and Chief Executive Officer. Dr Ajah is a Nigerian-born, UK-based surgeon, entrepreneur and business leader with a vision to build a science-driven African catfish enterprise that grows from strong local production in Nigeria into a trusted export-ready African fish brand for international markets, including the United Kingdom.
Under his leadership, Laj Aquaculture & Farmacology is developing an integrated aquaculture model that combines hatchery production, nursery systems, grow-out farming, feed milling, processing, compliance and export development.
Dr Ajah is supported by a diverse and talented team of farm managers, technical workers, operational staff, compliance advisers, construction partners and business development contributors. Together, the team brings practical experience, local knowledge, technical skill and a shared commitment to building a reliable, scalable and export-ready aquaculture business.
Our collective goal is simple: to produce high-quality African catfish, support food security, create jobs, build local capacity and connect Nigerian aquaculture products to wider regional and international markets.
Our Products, Technical & Academic Expertise
At Laj Aquaculture & Farmacology, we are building an integrated African catfish value chain — from hatchery and grow-out farming to feed production, processing, training and export development.
Our products and services are designed to serve local Nigerian markets, fish farmers, bulk buyers, processors, retailers, restaurants, exporters and international customers interested in high-quality African catfish.
African Catfish Fingerlings and Juveniles
We produce African catfish fingerlings and juveniles for farmers who need reliable, healthy and fast-growing stock. Our Kaduna hatchery is designed to support large-scale fingerling production and to strengthen access to quality seed stock for aquaculture farmers.
Live Table-Size African Catfish
Our grow-out farms produce table-size African catfish for local markets, bulk buyers, restaurants, retailers and processors. We currently operate grow-out systems across Lafia and Kaduna, with ongoing expansion to increase production capacity and support food security.
Smoked and Dried African Catfish
We are developing our smoked and dried African catfish product line for Nigerian and export markets. This product line supports longer shelf life, easier transportation, value addition and wider market access.
Laj Aquaculture & Farmacology has also been granted an export licence by the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), to be renewed in 2028, supporting our ambition to develop export-ready African catfish products for international markets, including the United Kingdom.
Fish Feed and Feed Mill Products
Our integrated model includes fish feed production and feed milling to support farm operations, improve cost control, enhance feed consistency and strengthen aquaculture productivity.
Our Kaduna Hatchery and Farm is approved by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) as a Vocational Enterprise Institute (VEI) for Aquaculture and Fish Farming, as well as Feed Milling, under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programme of the Federal Ministry of Education, Nigeria.
Aquaculture Training and Technical Support
We are also an approved Students’ Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) training centre for the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Through this, we support practical training and workplace exposure for students in fisheries, aquaculture, hatchery management, grow-out systems, feed production and farm operations.
Our Product and Training Promise
We are committed to producing and supporting African catfish products and services that are:
- healthy and responsibly farmed;
- locally produced in Nigeria;
- scalable for bulk supply;
- suitable for value-added processing;
- developed with export readiness in mind;
- supported by practical aquaculture training;
- strengthened by recognised institutional approvals;
- backed by scientific farm management and hands-on operational experience.
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