12
Cages at start-up
(July 2027)
(July 2027)
The integrated aquaculture project
Floating cage farming of GIFT tilapia on the Mbalmayo–Olama stretch, less than 80 kilometres from Yaoundé. 1,012 tonnes per year at maturity.
Overview
Zeideal Farm SA installs and operates a floating cage aquaculture facility on the Nyong River, in a two-phase trajectory: start-up with 12 cages in July 2027, organic ramp-up to 22 cages in April 2032.
Strategic location
The operating site is located on the Mbalmayo–Olama stretch of the Nyong River, in Cameroon's Centre Region. This location offers a rare combination of geographic, hydrological and logistic advantages:
Species and standards
The selected species is Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) GIFT strain (Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia), all-male monosex above 95%. This strain is recognised by the FAO as the world's highest-performing on key technical parameters: growth rate, feed conversion ratio, sanitary resilience, survival rate.
| Species | Oreochromis niloticus, GIFT strain |
| Sex ratio | All-male monosex ≥ 95% |
| Farming cycle | 180 days (fingerling 5g → commercial 450g) |
| Annual cycles | 2 cycles/year at maturity |
| Farming density | 30 kg/m³ (1/3 of international intensive standards) |
| Target FCR | 1.3 (best-in-class tilapia industry) |
| Target survival | 88% |
| Feed | Skretting Tilapia Floating, extruded floating pellets, 30-32% protein |
| Fingerling origin | Premium Aquaculture Limited (Nigeria) — WorldFish Center partnership |
Industrial architecture
On the river bank, less than 200 metres from the cages, eight functional modules support the operation. The whole represents an initial investment of FCFA 70M, sized from the start for the mature configuration of 22 cages to avoid overhaul costs.
60 m², satellite Internet connection, video conferencing, secure archives, video surveillance of cages.
120 m², capacity 10 people, sanitary blocks, common kitchen, rest area.
200 m² ventilated, hygrometric control, capacity for 3 months of feed (~120 tonnes).
80 m², pneumatic and electrical tools, repair pit, critical parts stock.
30 m aluminium floating pontoon, capable of supporting 5 t per operation, automatic weighing.
Depth 80–120 m, minimum flow 5 m³/h, raw filtered water.
1.2 km wire fence height 2.5 m, motorised gate, 24/7 security.
20 m² positive (+2°C) + 8 m² negative (-18°C), dedicated backup generator.
Industrial calendar
| Phase | Period | Key milestone |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 0 — Pre-closing | January–September 2026 | Production of lender instruction deliverables |
| Phase 1 — Closing | October–December 2026 | Signing of loan agreements (T4 2026) |
| Phase 2 — Pre-COD | January–June 2027 | Construction of infrastructures + cage installation |
| Phase 3 — COD | July 1, 2027 | First stocking (cohort 1, 12 cages) |
| Phase 4 — Organic growth | 2028–April 2032 | Cohorts 2 to 6 extensions (+2 cages/year) |
| Phase 5 — Mature regime | T3 2032 | Mature configuration 22 cages — 1,012 t/year |
Integrated cold chain logistics
The cold chain logistics is secured end-to-end, from harvesting on the cages to delivery to Yaoundé market customers. This structuring investment (FCFA 165M, i.e. 34% of initial CAPEX) constitutes a determining competitive advantage against frozen imports whose organoleptic quality is degraded by cold chain disruption.
5 tonnes brand new (Toyota Dyna or Mitsubishi Canter), secure route, GPS tracking.
Mbalmayo site (28 m²) + Yaoundé warehouse (42 m²), positive and negative.
Backup generators 25 kVA × 2, automatic switchover without chain disruption.