The GIFT Tilapia Strain in Africa: Potential Ecological Risks and Economic Benefits

There is a debate about the possible use of the selectively-bred GIFT strain of tilapia in Africa. Development economists see the potential for poverty alleviation from the use of the GIFT strain. Biologists, on the other hand, see potential ecological and genetic risks for native stocks. Using the Economic Surplus Model, and Ghana as a case study, under the assumption that the native strain of Oreochromis niloticus in Ghana grows much slower than the GIFT strain, we calculated the total economic benefits of the adoption of the GIFT strain. Our mean preliminary estimate for the net present value of these benefits is USD 190 million. Based on experience from the introduction of tilapia in other countries and regions, the main risk at issue posed by using the GIFT strain in Africa involves the loss of local adaptation in wild tilapia populations.  The next step in the study involves running Monte Carlo simulations to determine the net present value for the economic benefits for different scenarios. These results will provide policy-makers with vital information in their comparison of potential risks with benefits in considering commercial use of the GIFT strain in Africa.