NIGERIAN PHARMACIST DEVELOPS AI TOOL TO REDUCE FISH LOSSES

** **

Nigerian pharmacist Ukachi Benita has developed an artificial intelligence-powered device designed to help fish farmers monitor pond conditions and reduce fish mortality.

The prototype, called Aquamanne, was developed during a Google Gemma hackathon after repeated fish losses on Benita’s mother’s farm. More than 3,000 fish reportedly died in one of the farm’s ponds in March 2026, prompting her to investigate the role of water quality in fish production.

Aquamanne uses sensors and an ESP32 microcontroller to monitor water parameters including dissolved oxygen, pH and temperature. The readings are processed by Google’s Gemma AI model and sent to an application, where the system interprets changes and alerts farmers when conditions could pose risks to their fish.

Benita said the technology could also help address language barriers by eventually providing information through text and voice in African languages.

The first prototype cost about N30,000 to build and was completed in one week using components sourced in Nigeria. Benita is now working with an Oxford-based Nigerian professor and an embedded systems engineer to improve the device.

The team plans to make Aquamanne smaller, more durable, less dependent on electricity and capable of remote monitoring while keeping it affordable for fish farmers.