By John Oppong-Otoo, Food Safety Officer at AU-IBAR and Hakim Mufumbiro, Regional Coordinator CCAFRICA

The Codex Africa Think tank comprised of 12 Member States (Cameroon, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, The Gambia, Uganda and Zambia), Regional Economic Communities with observer status in Codex (Economic Community for West African States and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa) and representatives from the African Union met from 15 to 17 March 2023 in Mahe, Seychelles to reflect on the past engagement of the region in Codex, plan for the present and strategize for future.

The meeting discussed in great depth the CCAFRICA work plan that supports implementation of the Codex Strategic Plan (2020 – 2025), approaches for improving the quality and quantity of participation of AU Members States in Codex meetings for 2023, identified key Codex activities to be implemented by the CCAFRICA region for the year, mapped out key partnerships and collaborations for advancing Codex work in the Africa and worked through tailor-made proposals to ensure effective celebrations of World Food Safety Day 2023 and Codex@60 at national, sub-regional and continental level.

During the meeting, it was noted that key consideration should be on harnessing participation of Africa members in meetings through Codex online tools and members to take advantage of capacity building programs that are provided through FAO and WHO.

Codex standards provide the tools for African Union Member States to improve the safety of food produced in Africa or imported into the continent.

It was underscored at the session that Codex standards provide the tools for African Union Member States to improve the safety of food produced in Africa or imported into the continent and effective participation of Member States in the work of the CAC is critical to improving the quality and safety of food consumed while ensuring that trade flows as predictably as possible. The importance of Codex standards on the continent in spurring intra-Africa trade as envisaged in the African Continental Free Trade Area was emphasized.

A number of outcomes from the Codex Africa think tank meeting included:

• AU to provide policy guidance on streamlining in-country food safety programmes at Member State level and advocate for funding towards food safety programs;
• CCFARICA to design specific activities such as building efforts in the region to submit data for ongoing Codex work in order to contribute to achieving Goal 2 (Develop standards based on science and Codex risk-analysis principles) in the Codex Strategic Plan;
• convening a continental webinar targeting Regional Economic Communities to highlight the important role they play in mobilizing members to engage in Codex;
• designing a continental mentorship/twinning program and exchange visits between the Member States in Africa to build capacities and enhance Codex work management;
• enhancing the capacity of Members through training in generating regional priorities;
• planning and convening advocacy events on Food Safety and Codex for African Missions in Rome and Geneva;
• supporting continued hybrid Codex Committee meetings in order to foster wider participation of the members in the region;
• undertaking national, sub-regional and continental events to mark WFSD and Codex@60;
• developing a comprehensive CCAFRICA Communication Strategy; and
• ensuring strong and sustainable leadership of Members in Codex at all levels.

The regional Codex work management workshop was supported by AU-IBAR, which is the African Union Commission’s (AUC) Codex Contact Point and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture.

Learn more

CCAFRICA web pages

© Photo credit Hakim Mufumbiro