The International Labour Organisation (ILO), in collaboration with a local consumer company and with support from the Norwegian Government, launched the Iranamadu Tilapia culture-based production and semi-processing centre in the Northern Province. The new facility strengthens climate-resilient aquaculture, expands rural livelihoods, and creates decent employment opportunities for women in the region. Located in the Iranamadu freshwater fisheries hub, the centre was developed as an initiative under the ILO’s Promoting Advancement of Vulnerable Persons and Enterprises (PAVE) Project. Funded by the Norwegian Government, the Project supported inclusive economic development and climate-resilient livelihoods in the North, with a strong emphasis on women, persons with disabilities, and vulnerable rural communities. A key feature of this new processing centre is its focus on women’s employment and skills development. The facility will create new, sustainable jobs in fish handling, processing, and quality assurance, while also supporting training in food safety standards, value addition, and enterprise development. This will significantly expand women’s participation in the aquaculture value chain in the Northern Province.

The initiative builds on the local consumer company’s engagement in the tilapia sector, including pilot interventions to expand consumer demand for locally farmed tilapia through innovative recipes and integration into its national supermarket retail network.

By linking smallholder fisher communities with private sector markets, the Iranamadu Freshwater Fishermen’s Cooperative Society has gained improved market access and engaged with large private sector actors.