Twentieth GRÓ‑FTP PhD scholarship recipient graduates: Congratulations to Dr. Veronica Mpomwenda
GRÓ Fisheries Training Programme is proud to celebrate the doctoral defence of Dr. Veronica Mpomwenda, a 2015 GRÓ‑FTP fellow and former scholarship recipient, who successfully defended her PhD thesis at the University of Iceland on 16 January 2026.
Veronica’s dissertation, Challenges and Responses of the Nile Perch Fishery to Evolving Policies and Resource Base on Lake Victoria, with Emphasis on Uganda, explores one of East Africa’s most economically and socially important inland fisheries. Her work provides new insights into how fishers on Lake Victoria adapt to shifting resource conditions, policy reforms, and increasingly stringent enforcement measures—issues central to sustainable management of this shared lake fishery spanning the borders of Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.
Drawing on long‑term data and comparative analysis across Lake Victoria’s riparian countries, Veronica examined changes in vessel performance, fisher decision‑making, and perceptions of future management options. Her findings highlight the complex ways that governance, resource dynamics, and livelihoods intersect, offering practical pathways for improved fisheries management in Uganda and the wider region.
The defence took place at the University of Iceland and was streamed live. Opponents were Professor Jeppe Kolding (University of Bergen) and Professor Mafaniso Hara (University of the Western Cape). Veronica's supervisors were Professor Daði Már Kristófersson and Professor Jón Geir Pétursson. Members of her doctoral committee also included Dr. Tumi Tómasson (GRÓ‑FTP) and Dr. Anthony Taabu‑Munyaho (previously acting director of the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organisation) himself a former GRÓ FTP fellow and PhD scholarship recipient.
GRÓ‑FTP warmly congratulates Dr. Mpomwenda on this significant achievement. Her work contributes vital knowledge to the governance of Lake Victoria’s fisheries and reflects GRÓ FTP´s strong commitment to capacity development in fisheries in the region.
