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
Gambia Launches National Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee
Abdoulie Jallow,
Senior Scientific Officer
Food Safety and Quality Authority, Gambia
The National Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee of the Gambia was launched on 21st of February 2023, at a ceremony held at the premises of the Food Safety and Quality Authority of the Gambia.
SPS Measures are vital instruments used by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other relevant international multilateral agencies to ensure food safety, protection of plants and animals from pests and diseases and the facilitation of international agricultural trade. National SPS Committees are in-country multi-stakeholder platforms formed by members of the WTO to facilitate national discussion and consensus on SPS-related matters such as international trade disputes and negotiations.
The Gambia National SPS committee was launched in 2016; however, since then, due to budgetary and coordination issues, its activities have been significantly limited. In response to the inactivity of the committee, The Government of the Gambia, through The Food Safety and Authority, deemed it necessary to reconstitute and launch this important committee. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Mr. Mamodou Bah, the Director General of the Food Safety and Quality of the Gambia, assured members of the new committee of his office’s commitment to ensure the newly formed committee does not face the same difficulties as the previous one.
Led by the Food Safety and Quality of the Gambia, the committee is comprised of twenty-two members from different stakeholder agencies within the government, private and consumer sectors of the country. The Gambia, like other agri-based developing countries faces significant trade challenges in SPS-related matters such as non-compliance with food safety, animal and plant health international regulations and standards. Mr. Kutuba Jarju, an SPS specialist, speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Trade, Employment and Regional Integration, stressed the importance and relevance of this committee, especially at a time when the government is working hard to diversify and enhance the performance of the country’s agricultural sector. Similar remarks were echoed by Dr. Amadou Sowe, Chairman, Board of Directors of the Food Safety and Quality Authority.
The newly formed committee is expected to hold its first working session in the coming weeks, where it will identify key challenges, elect a chairman and vice-chairman who will be charged with coordinating the affairs of the committee.
Photo credit:
© Codex Contact Point/The Gambia
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