The initiative, dubbed “Lake Victoria 100”, was unveiled in Mwanza, Tanzania, on the sidelines of celebrations to inaugurate Lake Victoria Day.

📻 Breaking It Down

MWANZA, Tanzania May 22 – Lake Victoria countries have launched an ambitious scientific study that will examine how Africa’s largest lake has changed over the last 100 years, with officials saying the project will cost about Sh77 billion.

The initiative, dubbed “Lake Victoria 100”, was unveiled in Mwanza, Tanzania, on the sidelines of celebrations to inaugurate Lake Victoria Day.

The study was launched by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO), which said the project will revisit work first carried out in 1927 by British scientist Graham, who conducted the first lake-wide scientific survey of Lake Victoria under colonial administration.

📌 What You Need to Know

Speaking during the event, LVFO Deputy Executive Secretary Lucy Ayugi Obungu said the lake has undergone major environmental and social changes over the last century.

“Today is a happy day for us because we are launching the Lake Victoria 100,” said Ms Obungu.

She noted that the lake’s fish species, water quality and surrounding population have significantly changed since the first survey was conducted 100 years ago.

“One hundred years later, the lake has transformed. The population has increased, the species of fish have changed and there are many interactions happening in the water,” she said.

The project is expected to run between 2027 and 2029 and will involve scientists, policymakers and local communities from countries sharing the lake.

Officials said the study aims to generate new scientific data that will guide conservation, fisheries management and economic planning in the Lake Victoria basin.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya