After partnering with Leadership Initiatives’ International Business Internship Program, Shehu now runs the largest fish farm in his village. His success has allowed him to be a leader in his community, create new jobs, and feed the region. Shehu is now working with International Business Internship Program (IBIP) teams to learn how to treat chlorine in the water, treat newly hatched fish to reduce their mortality rate, increase dissolved oxygen levels in the tanks, improve the growth rate of the fish, and locally produce fish feeds for his farm.
Shehu Gagare grew up near the Gubi Dam, where many members of his community fished to feed themselves and their family. When Shehu was 15 years old, he met a team of Chinese construction workers who were hired to repair the dam. They taught Shehu how to hatch and farm fish, sparking Shehu to get a job at a fish farm. There, he learned the skills and gained the experience necessary to run a successful fish farm, as well as saved enough money to purchase 1,000 fish hatchlings required to start his own business. In 2017, Shehu opened his own farm in Tun Village, Bauchi State, Nigeria.
Three other employees currently work at Shehu’s fish farm. Shehu not only creates jobs for his community but is also a major source of food for the Bauchi area. The farm has a capacity of between 6,000 – 8,000 fish per harvest, as well as an indoor hatchery with approximately 30,000 – 50,000 fingerlings. Shehu is also married with 7 children who attend school using the profits from the fish farm. Shehu and his business currently directly benefit 14 people in his wider community.