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Zanzibar’s Seaweed Sector Draws Global Interest

13 July 2026

Caption: Women tend to their seaweed farms along Zanzibar's coast. Seaweed farming is Zanzibar's second-largest export crop after cloves, and employs over 23,000 farmers, 80% of them women, across more than 80 coastal villages.

Photo: © UN Tanzania

Zanzibar, Tanzania

The United Nations in Tanzania recently joined the Government of Zanzibar in welcoming a delegation led by the UN Joint SDG Fund Secretariat, to explore opportunities to grow Zanzibar's seaweed industry. The visit brought together representatives from AltaSea, the Joint SDG Fund's Breakthrough Alliance, the Kelp Ark initiative and the Kim Reaper Foundation, alongside government officials, cooperatives, financial institutions, researchers and civil society groups working in the sector.

Caption: Lisa Kurbiel, Head of Secretariat of the Joint SDG Fund, joins a seaweed farmer on her boat in Pemba, holding freshly harvested seaweed grown in deep water. Deep water farming is being promoted because cooler, mineral-rich waters help seaweed grow better, but it comes with real challenges: farmers need boats to reach these sites, and many women in the sector cannot swim.

Photo: © UN Tanzania

Seaweed farming is one of Zanzibar’s most important economic activities, supporting the livelihoods of more than 150,000 people. The sector includes over 23,600 farmers, around 80 per cent of whom are women, making it a vital source of income for women across the islands’ coastal communities. During the week-long visit, the delegation travelled across Unguja, and also extended to Pemba, to see this work up close, visiting seaweed farms and cooperatives, meeting with government leaders, and holding discussions with banks, researchers and private companies involved in growing, processing and selling seaweed products.

The visit also included a meeting with the Ambassador of Spain, H.E. Paloma Serra Robles, and the Ambassador of Norway, H.E. Tone Tinnes, representing two of the Joint SDG Fund's key donors, who joined the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Susan Ngongi Namondo, on a visit to women-led seaweed cooperatives to see first-hand how their investments are making a difference in local communities.

Caption: UN Resident Coordinator Susan Ngongi Namondo and the Ambassadors of Norway and Spain visit a women's seaweed cooperative, seeing first-hand how members display and market their products. With funding from partners including Norway and Spain through the Joint SDG Fund, and other sources, the UN is helping farmers move up the value chain, turning raw seaweed into higher-value products that can reach bigger markets.

Photo: © UN Tanzania

Discussions throughout the week focused on how to help the sector grow further and reach its full potential. This included exploring ways to strengthen financing for inputs for farmers and cooperatives, improve the quality and processing of seaweed products, and open new markets. The delegation also explored areas for scientific collaboration in the areas of marine biology and seeds, which could help farmers protect their harvests as ocean conditions change due to ocean warming.

This engagement builds on the work of the Joint SDG Fund's programme, "Transforming Seaweed Farming through Integrated Financial Solutions," which is helping seaweed farmers access financing, strengthen their cooperatives and connect to larger markets, alongside the broader Zanzibar joint programme, which supports vulnerable coastal communities across northern Zanzibar and Pemba.

Caption: The visiting delegation joins seaweed farmers at a solar drying facility in Muungoni. The Government of Zanzibar, the UN, the World Bank and other partners are working together to support women across the entire seaweed value chain, from production and harvesting to drying, storage, handling and processing, helping reduce losses and improve the quality of the seaweed that reaches the market.

Photo: © UN Tanzania

Building on the momentum from this visit, an investment summit is being planned for November, to bring together investors, government, and industry leaders to review investment opportunities across the seaweed value chain, from production to processing and export. The visit reflects the UN's ongoing commitment to supporting Zanzibar's blue economy and to helping the people who depend on the ocean for their livelihoods build a more prosperous, sustainable future.