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
Uganda mentors Tanzania on effective management and engagement in Codex activities
By Sylvia Kirabo, Head of Public Relations and Marketing at UNBS and Hakim Mufumbiro, Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA
Uganda, which doubles as the current CCAFRICA Coordinator, has concluded a four-day Twinning and Mentorship programme on Codex Activities between Uganda and Tanzania that was held at the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) Headquarters in Kampala from 19 to 22 September 2022.
The objective of the twinning arrangement is to strengthen Member States capacity and efficiency in engaging and management of Codex activities especially with regard to chairing of electronic working groups as well as hosting and co-hosting of Codex sessions on food safety standards.
During the session, the Coordinator for Codex Activities in Africa who is also the Head of the Food and Agriculture Standards at UNBS, Mr. Hakim Mufumbiro shared their wide experience in managing and engaging in Codex matters with the officials from Tanzania Codex Office.
Key issues discussed and shared during the mentorship session include:
- Use and application of key provisions in the Codex Procedural Manual
- CCAFRICA coordination roles and responsibilities
- Regional capacity building activities and collaboration with FAO, WHO, AU, RECs and other Partners
- Communication strategy and effective engagement of members in the region
- CCAFRICA work plan to support implementation of the Codex Strategic Plan (2020-2025)
- Generation of regional common positions and effective preparation and participation in the Executive Committee and the Codex Alimentarius Commission
- Hosting and co-hosting of various Codex sessions such as the CCAFRICA.
The three officials from Tanzania led by Mr. Lawrence Chenge (Codex Contact Point) were grateful for the mentorship received and pledged to implement the lessons back home in order to better their leadership capabilities and their management of Codex activities.
“The training will guide Tanzania on how to deal with food safety standards at the national and regional level. It will help us harmonise as the East African region which will reduce tension and trade barriers within the region, allowing us to trade within the East African Community and the rest of Africa,” said Mrs. Patricia Bageine Ejalu, the UNBS Deputy Executive Director in charge of standards, as she officially closed the four-day training.
The Codex twinning and mentorship programme is supported through the Codex Trust Fund Group Project being implemented by five participating countries (Burundi, Kenya, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda). The project aims to build strong, solid and sustainable national capacity to engage in Codex work.
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