MWANZA, Tanzania May 22 – Lake Victoria countries have launched an ambitious scientific study that will examine how Africa’s largest lake has changed over the last 100 years, with officials saying the project will cost about Sh77 billion.
The initiative, dubbed “Lake Victoria 100”, was unveiled in Mwanza, Tanzania, on the sidelines of celebrations to inaugurate Lake Victoria Day.
The study was launched by the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation (LVFO), which said the project will revisit work first carried out in 1927 by British scientist Graham, who conducted the first lake-wide scientific survey of Lake Victoria under colonial administration.
Speaking during the event, LVFO Deputy Executive Secretary Lucy Ayugi Obungu said the lake has undergone major environmental and social changes over the last century.
“Today is a happy day for us because we are launching the Lake Victoria 100,” said Ms Obungu.
She noted that the lake’s fish species, water quality and surrounding population have significantly changed since the first survey was conducted 100 years ago.
“One hundred years later, the lake has transformed. The population has increased, the species of fish have changed and there are many interactions happening in the water,” she said.
The project is expected to run between 2027 and 2029 and will involve scientists, policymakers and local communities from countries sharing the lake.
Officials said the study aims to generate new scientific data that will guide conservation, fisheries management and economic planning in the Lake Victoria basin.
Lake Victoria is shared by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania and supports millions of people through fishing, transport, farming and trade.
Former LVFO Deputy Executive Secretary Anthony Mnyaho, who now serves on the project’s steering committee, said researchers will compare current findings with samples and records collected during the 1927 expedition.
“We are going to replicate what Graham did, but now modernise it,” said Mr Mnyaho.
According to the organisers, some of the original samples collected from the lake were preserved in the United Kingdom and have since been digitised to support the new research.
The study will focus on nine key areas, including biodiversity, water quality, fisheries, climate change, catchment management, data systems and knowledge management.
Mnyaho said the findings are expected to shape future investments and environmental policies in the region.
“We expect a big outcome to direct change and investment in the Lake Victoria region,” he said.
Researchers will also examine the impact of climate change and human activities on the lake ecosystem, which has increasingly faced pressure from pollution, overfishing and rapid urbanisation.
Community participation will form part of the project, with residents expected to contribute stories and experiences about the lake and its changing environment.
Ms Obungu said the initiative is not only about science but also about securing the future of one of Africa’s most important freshwater resources.
“Whatever we do successfully here can reflect in other waters,” she said.
Officials believe the findings could become a major scientific reference for future generations, just as the 1927 survey remains important to researchers today.
Lake Victoria is the world’s second-largest freshwater lake and remains a critical source of food, employment and transport for East Africa.
