The CCAFRICA Region - Regional Coordinator Uganda
The ‘Coordinating Committee for Africa’ was established by the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1972 with a mandate to “exercise general coordination in the preparation of standards relating to the region of Africa”. The committee held its first meeting at FAO in 1974, with 19 countries in attendance.
As the new regional coordinator begins their term, the Agreement of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which came into effect in May 2020, has reinforced the need for an efficient and effective system for managing sanitary and phytosanitary measures, in particular food safety, across the continent as its borders open for trade.
The regional coordinator is based in the Uganda National Bureau of Standards, a statutory body under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Co-operatives which oversees, as part of its mandate, the promotion and use of standards.
As regional coordinator, Uganda intends to engage closely with countries via surveys, webinars and workshops to identify needs and emerging issues, create awareness of priority food safety issues and of Codex standards. A pilot study will also explore the food safety situation in broader terms across the region. By strengthening engagement with regional bodies such as the African Union, the African Organisation for Standardisation and the African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, Uganda also aims to enhance advocacy work in the region.
CCAFRICA Coordinator
All information on Codex is public and free.
For regional enquiries contact:
CCAFRICA Secretariat
Uganda National Bureau of Standards Plot 2 - 12, Bypass Link, Industrial
& Business park, Kyaliwajala road,
P.O Box 6329 Kampala, Uganda
Tel: +256 (041) 7333250 / 0417333251 / 0417333252
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.unbs.go.ug
Burkina Faso launches its Codex Trust Fund 2 project
Burkina Faso launched its Codex Trust Fund 2 project in a workshop held on 12 October 2018 with the participation of different sectors involved in food safety and nutrition representing governmental and non-governmental structures, civil society as well as technical and financial partners. The country is now among the eight African countries to benefit from the Codex Trust Fund 2, following a call for applications. The project that will be implemented for three years, from 2018 to 2021, is intended to enhance the capacity of the National Codex Committee to effectively contribute to the standard-setting work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Burkina Faso, a member of Codex since 2004, plans to use the funding from the Codex Trust Fund 2 to:
- increase the awareness of national authorities as well as technical and financial partners in support of Codex activities within the country;
- improve the functioning of its National Codex Committee;
- improve the visibility of Codex and its activities at the national level;
- strengthen the capacity to use Codex Alimentarius standards at the national level; and
- improve the scientific contribution of Burkina Faso to the standard-setting work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Speaking at the launch of the project in Burkina Faso, the representative of the Ministry of Health underscored that the Codex Alimentarius "is a vital element for the assurance of public health as well as economic and commercial development of any country and especially for our country".
The WHO Representative to Burkina Faso, Dr Alimata J. Diarra-Nama, speaking on behalf of WHO and FAO, reaffirmed the commitment of WHO and FAO alongside the national Codex Committee Burkina Faso to promote the strengthening of the national food control system to reduce health risks throughout the food chain.
Read more about the Codex Trust Fund
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