Nigerian Pharmacist Creates AI Device to Aid Fish Farming

Ukachi Benita, a Nigerian pharmacist, has created an artificial intelligence-powered device named Aquamanne to assist fish farmers in detecting harmful changes in pond water conditions, thereby reducing fish mortality. The prototype was developed during a Google Gemma hackathon, motivated by the death of over 3,000 fish in her mother’s pond, which had about 10,000 fish, in March 2026.

Aquamanne utilizes sensors and an ESP32 microcontroller to measure critical water parameters such as dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature. These readings are processed by Google’s Gemma AI model and sent to a mobile application for farmers.

The device aims to interpret water-quality data and alert farmers to changes while offering recommendations. Benita noted that the AI technology could help overcome language barriers by converting information into local languages.

The initial prototype cost approximately N30,000 and was completed in a week, although some sensors were unavailable locally. Benita, a graduate of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, relied on online tutorials for her project.