Hakimu Matola is a Research scientist working with the Tanzania Fisheries Research Institute at Dar es Salaam Centre. He was awarded a BSc General (Marine Biology and Applied Microbiology) from the University of Dar es Salaam in 2002 and MSc in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management (Oceans and Lakes) in the inter-university programme (Vrije Universitiet Brussel, Universitiet Gent and Universitiet Antwerpen) in Belgium in 2014. Over 20 years has been able to contribute to research on marine ecology, fish stock assessment and fish farming in Lake Victoria and along the Tanzanian coast. Tanzania shares resources such as migratory fish and marine mammals with other countries, therefore regional collaboration is important. In support of this, he works regularly with partners in the West Indian Ocean islands. Matola has coordinated the assessment and sustainable use of Pelagic Fishes for the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Project (SWIOFP) as Component Coordinator in Tanzania from 2007 to 2010. Internationally, Matola has been an active member of Man and Biosphere (MAB) Committee under UNESCO which aimed to conserve biodiversity from 2013 to 2018. He has published in international peer-reviewed journals and reports in the same area and others.