AQUA — Agribusiness Programme
Launch and scale a commercial aquaponics business in three weeks
Next cohort
6–24 July 2026
3 weeks · Mon to Thu evenings
Live sessions
5pm – 7pm SAST
Investment
R8,500
Per person · 12 live sessions
What Makes the AQUA Programme Different
Three intensive weeks
Live with Justin & Mark
Every session is taught live by founder Justin Hess and expert Mark Austin with built-in Q&A — not a recorded course.
Agribusiness focus
Manual, recordings, certificate
Course Breakdown — 12 Live Sessions
Week 1 — Foundations
MON
Aquaponics Business Foundations
TUE
System Design, Crop & Fish Management
WED
Crop & Fish Production
THU
Operations & Finance
Week 2 — Production
MON
Seed to Harvest Management
TUE
Commercial Fish Husbandry
WED
Plant Health & Pest Management
THU
Harvesting Techniques & Quality Control
Week 3 — Business
MON
Financial Modelling & Pricing
TUE
Market Positioning & Sales
WED
Operations, SOPs & Compliance
THU
Scaling & Continuous Improvement
Why Choose Afraponix?
Practical & Applied
Real-world skills you can implement immediately on your own system.
Business-Driven
Focus on profitability and sustainable, scalable growth.
Africa-Focused
Solutions designed for African climates, markets and economics.
International Expertise
Learn from global aquaponics leaders with 20+ years in the field.
Meet Your Instructors
Justin Hess (South Africa)
Founder and director of Afraponix, Justin is dedicated to transforming African agriculture through world-class aquaponics education. With deep understanding of Africa’s unique food security challenges, he leads the mission to empower agripreneurs across the continent to build profitable, sustainable enterprises.
Expertise: Business strategy, educational program development, sustainable agriculture leadership, African markets
Mark Austin (Spain)
International aquaponics expert recognised for creating innovative systems that balance efficiency, sustainability and profitability. Mark brings global perspective from designing commercial-scale operations across multiple continents. He leads technical content development for AQUA and AFRA programs.
Expertise: Commercial system design, biointegrated systems engineering, water quality optimisation, automation, operational scaling
Register for AQUA
Submit the form below and we’ll send payment details within 48 hours. Seats are confirmed on payment.
Continue your pathway
Pick the next step that matches where you are — or browse all three on the pathway overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the AQUA programme.
Frequently asked questions
R8,500 per person. The fee covers all 12 live sessions across 3 weeks, lifetime access to the session recordings, the full Aquaponics Success Manual, and a certificate of completion. No hidden costs.
Monday 6 to Friday 24 July 2026 — 3 weeks of live sessions Monday to Thursday evenings, 5pm to 7pm SAST. We run a small cohort to keep the Q&A personal.
Fully online via our learning platform at aquaponics.online. Live sessions run on Zoom from inside the platform, with recordings added within 24 hours.
Some background helps. AQUA is our agribusiness programme — pitched at people planning a commercial system. If you’re brand new, complete Aquaponics 101 first; if you’re already operating, you’re ready to go.
Every session is recorded and added to the platform within 24 hours. You can catch up at your own pace and the recordings stay with you for life.
Justin Hess, founder of Afraponix, with over 20 years of hands-on experience in commercial aquaponics. Every session is live with Justin and includes Q&A.
5pm–7pm SAST works comfortably across most of Africa, Europe and the Middle East:
- West Africa (Lagos) — 3pm–5pm
- UK — 3pm–5pm winter, 4pm–6pm summer
- Cairo / Johannesburg — 5pm–7pm
- East Africa (Nairobi) — 6pm–8pm
- Mauritius / Dubai — 7pm–9pm
- India — 8:30pm–10:30pm
If your time zone is too late for live attendance, the recordings and written-feedback forum keep you fully on track.
Our AFRA programme (8 weeks + practical, R19,500) is the master-level programme for operators ready to scale or specialise. See the pathway overview for the full ladder.
Submit the registration form above. We will reply within 48 hours with payment details (EFT or card). Your seat is confirmed on receipt of payment.
