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
Summary report of West Africa and SAHEL food safety convergence meeting, 18 to 22 July 2022, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), organized a Regional Meeting on Food Safety Regulation Convergence from 18 to 22 July 2022 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The meeting was attended by Codex Contact Point Officers, National Plant Health Protection Officers, Chief Veterinary Officers, Private Sector Representatives and other experts from fifteen ECOWAS Member States (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo); Chad and Mauritania. There was also participation of Representatives from the ECOWAS Commission, UEMOA, EAC, CILSS, CORAF, AU-IBAR, FAO, WHO, CCAFRICA, IPPC Secretariat, UMAP-GHANA, USDA/FAS, USDA/APHIS, USAID and Laval University, Canada, ACEMFS.
The Workshop was opened by Mr. N’guettia Rene, Deputy Minister for Agriculture for Côte d'Ivoire. There were also statements from the African Union, CCAFRICA, ECOWAS, USDA, and IPPC. The meeting involved a series of presentations, group discussions and plenary discussions. Key issues discussed in the meeting included:
- Update on the status of national Codex structures
- Mechanism for Convergence of Food Regulatory Measures amongst Countries of the Economic Community of Western African States
- Review and update of the statutes of the network of food safety actors of West Africa
Major outcomes of the meeting were the adoption of the:
- Mechanism for Convergence of Food Regulatory Measures amongst countries of ECOWAS and the Sahel
- Terms of Reference for the Food Regulatory Harmonization Committee (FoRHC) and action plan for the implementation of the FoRHC
- Statutes of the Network of Food Safety Actors of West Africa
The meeting thanks technical and donor partners including USDA, USAID, FAO and Laval University, Canada.
The meeting concluded with the following Recommendations
Recommendations
TO ECOWAS Commission and its partners
- to ensure effective coordination and facilitate the operationalization of the adopted West African Food Safety Stakeholders' Network as well as the Food Regulatory Harmonization Committee (FoRHC)
- to mobilize resources to ensure the effective implementation of the agreed action plan using an incremental approach
To Member States
- to facilitate and ensure effective participation of relevant experts and technical resources in the work of the adopted West African Food Safety Stakeholders' Network as well as the Food Regulatory Harmonization Committee (FoRHC)
Learn more
News from the region available on the CCAFRICA web pages
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