Sub-Saharan Africa's per-capita fish consumption is projected to fall from 8.9 kg to 8.1 kg by 2030 — not because demand is softening, but because supply is losing ground to population growth. Tilapia is the species best positioned to close the gap. The production system around it is fragile. The bottlenecks are structural and well-documented. Hatcheries deliver erratic, genetically degraded fingerlings, with growth performance in many local broodstocks running 12–40% below wild reference populations. Technical skills are thin across farmers, hatchery operators, and extension agents. Disease and biosecurity risk is rising fast, with the majority of surveyed farms operating without formal protocols. Climate and environmental pressure on water, feed, and pond systems is intensifying. And the value chains that should turn production into livelihoods still leave women, youth, and smallholder producers on the margins.