Digital Prosperity for SSFs

ABALOBI

Digital Prosperity for SSFs

Co-designed digital tools and training empowering small-scale fishers to access markets, financial services, and sustainable livelihoods.

Cape Town, South Africa

ZAF

Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit

Small-scale fishers (SSFs) harvest over half the world’s seafood and support 60+ million livelihoods, yet remain largely invisible to formal systems. Despite their vital role in food security and the ocean economy, millions of fishers live in poverty, lack a digital identity, and are excluded from financial services, social protection, management conversations, and market access. Women in particular remain particularly marginalised, unrecognised and underpaid, despite their critical contributions. SSFs are typically data-poor, often informal, and excluded from decision-making and resource governance as a result. Without verified records of their income or catch, fishers are unable to access credit, insurance, or basic protections. In markets, they remain price-takers, exploited by intermediaries, and disconnected from consumers. This digital and financial exclusion traps small-scale fishers in cycles of poverty, debt, and marginalisation. The lack of visibility and data also hinders sustainable fisheries management, further threatening ocean health and community resilience.

ABALOBI is a fisher-driven organisation that co-develops digital tools, training, and financial services with small-scale fishers to foster digital inclusion, market access, and sustainable livelihoods. Our flagship ABALOBI Fisher app enables catch and expense logging, sea-state forecasting, document storage, and access to simple analytics—supporting fishers in building a verifiable digital identity. This identity forms the foundation for formalisation and access to financial services. Our Marketplace platform connects fishers directly to consumers via a traceable, digital seafood supply chain. It ensures transparent pricing and rapid payments and cuts out predatory intermediaries. Women are included as producers of value-added goods, and receive fair, direct payment for their work. Both platforms are paired with extensive training and organisational development, delivered by embedded community team members, to ensure uptake and long-term capacity. We also offer bundled financial services—such as savings, credit advances, and group insurance—tailored to fishers' needs and powered by their digital records. Together, these innovations reposition fishers as data owners, economic actors, and environmental stewards, building prosperity and resilience in coastal communities.

ABALOBI serves small-scale fishers and fish workers—many of whom are women—across Africa, the Western Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, and Latin America. These communities are often under-resourced, informal, and excluded from financial systems, digital infrastructure, and governance processes. Through co-designed digital tools, training, and bundled financial services, we support fishers in building a verified digital identity, gaining access to fair markets, and improving income stability. Our platform enables them to log catch and expenses, receive real-time weather forecasts, participate in digital seafood sales, and access credit, savings, and insurance products—opportunities they would otherwise be excluded from. Women, often marginalised and underpaid, are intentionally included in the value chain, receiving fair pay for value-added products and support for formal recognition in fisheries governance and leadership roles. The solution empowers fishers to transition from invisibility and informality to becoming active participants in the digital economy. It improves household financial resilience, enhances food security, and supports community-level sustainability.