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
Kenyan workshop engages all stakeholder groups on the value of Codex texts
By Codex Contact Point, Kenya
The Kenya Codex Contact Point at Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) in conjunction with the national Codex committee held an consultative workshop on 29 March 2022 with manufacturers, importers/exporters, local traders, consumer organizations and the general public. The workshop aimed to create awareness amongst various stakeholders who are potential users of Codex standards and have a responsibility for safeguarding consumer health.
The objectives of the workshop were to enlighten the participants on the use and importance of Codex texts, provide an overview of the different categories of texts (standards, guidelines and codes of practice) and underline the necessity of investing in working with Codex.
Ms Maryann Kindiki, the Codex Contact Point for Kenya (picture centre) said: “The Codex website is rich in information and all Codex texts are easy to locate as they are clearly categorized.” The participants were encouraged to make use of the published texts to empower them in making informed decisions in terms of food safety and fair trade practices and to participate in development of the the texts to enable consideration of all their different interests.
Dr. Evans Muthuma, a member of National Codex Committee (pictured left), emphasized the importance of Codex texts informing the participants that these are the standards that are recognized by the World Trade Organization as benchmarks in its sanitary and phytosanitary and technical barriers to trade (SPS and TBT) agreements.
“Investing in the work of Codex means to intentionally allocate and utilize resources in participation during development of all Codex texts and other Codex activities,” said Ms. Felista Nyakoe, of the Kenya Accreditation Service, during her presentation.
Learn more
Understanding Codex 5th edition
Main photo © KEBS
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