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
Codex in Mauritius / Learning from others
By Shalini Neeliah
Codex Contact Point, Mauritius
In 2020, when we signed the project document for the Codex Trust Fund Assistance, we knew we were in for a deep dive. As a developing country, we had a relatively new Codex structure, but we were very keen to improve it so that we fulfill all our obligations as a World Trade Organization member. Participation in Codex meetings was still sporadic, depending largely on the funding of the Codex Trust Fund (CTF).
As a CTF beneficiary, the Republic of Mauritius is currently conducting a project to strengthen its Codex structure and the country's capacity to participate in the work of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and its various committees. Led by the National Codex Contact Point (CCP), within the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, with the support of the National Codex Committee members, this project includes various activities.
Among these activities is the twinning of the Codex Contact Point Mauritius with well-established and active CCP. Following discussion with our colleagues from the WHO, it was agreed that we would initiate twinning activities with the Netherlands, who already had some experience having mentored CCP Ghana in 2018. After a first online meeting with Marie Ange Delen, the representative of the CCP Netherlands, it was decided that Netherlands CCP would conduct two knowledge sharing sessions on 16th and 17th June 2022: one with the NCC members for Mauritius, the other with the NCC members designated to attend the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues held in July 2022.
The first session was an opportunity for NCC members to learn about the Commission and its website. Emphasis was placed on the retrieval of documents and on the eight step procedure for the standard setting process. During the second session, we gained a deeper insight on the agenda of the forthcoming CCPR meeting and learned about the background behind each of the agenda points. We were now better prepared to participate in the forthcoming CCPR.
We can affirm that we are very lucky to be benefitting from the expertise and experience of the Codex Contact Point of the Netherlands. This twinning process is certainly expected to be very fruitful as it will enhance the management of the CCP and our working procedures.
Leave a comment