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
Public exhibition in Senegal’s capital marks World Food Safety Day
On World Food Safety Day, Senegal’s Minister for Health and Social Action presided over a food safety exposition in the country’s capital, Dakar, on 7 June, and gave a speech about the need to promote food safety “for our health and for our economy.”
Events were organized in Dakar and Kaolack to raise awareness among stakeholders on the importance of food safety and the implementation of strategies that ensure safer food, to avoid foodborne illness. Panel discussions were also convened. The campaign was organized by the Ministry of Health, with the support of other ministries involved in agriculture, fisheries, livestock, commerce, industry, public hygiene and the environment.
As part of the national efforts, representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) each recorded a video address about World Food Safety Day. Senior Policy Officer for FAO’s subregional office for West Africa, Bintia Stephan-Tchicaya, explained that “FAO, through its strategic framework emphasizes the need for more efficient, inclusive, resilient, sustainable agri-food systems, for better production, better nutrition, better environment, and a better life – leaving no one behind.” These “four betters” that lie at the heart of FAO’s new strategy will rely on robust food safety systems.
For WHO, Dr Lucile Marie Imboua-Niava, explained that this year’s World Food Safety Day campaign focuses on the complex linkages between human health, animal health, plant health, the environment and the economy. She reminded listeners that everybody has a role to play on keeping food safe – from the farm to the fork. She pointed to the WHO project “marché-santé,” which emphasises the need for hygienic practices in food markets.