In Eswatini, FAO leads an evaluation of the national food control system
This week FAO began a project to improve the food control system in the Kingdom of Eswatini. A 5-million-euro project funded by the European Union, "Strengthening of Capacities and Governance in Food and Phytosanitary Control,” which began just two months ago, is set to provide technical support and work with Competent Authorities and other leading institutions in 12 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Member Countries to build up capabilities, strengthen governance and improve strategic planning around two main components: food safety and plant health.
As part of the food safety component, an assessment of the national food control system will be carried out in Eswatini, the third country where the project is being implemented after the two island nations of Comoros and the Seychelles. A team of food safety experts from FAO will work closely with local Competent Authorities for food safety and relevant stakeholders, to assess the effectiveness of the national food control system and to develop strategies to improve the country’s public health and economic development.
Assessment of the national food control system in Eswatini
The project, co-signed by the Government of Eswatini, falls within the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Policy Framework for Africa developed by the African Union (AU) to spur trade among AU Member States and is implemented in close collaboration with the African Commission Division for Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC DARBE).
Eswatini and FAO have a long-standing partnership, dating back since the country joined the Organization in 1971. With this project, FAO is introducing to Eswatini the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool, a unique instrument whose use is expanding steadily, which is designed to assess the national food control system in a comprehensive manner, by looking at the entire food chain, including production, distribution, the retail market and the consumers.
On Monday, the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture of Eswatini, Sydney Simelane thanked FAO and WHO for developing and introducing the tool, and said “the country is desirous of enhancing its competitiveness and participation in international trade,” adding “this workshop and assessment mission could not have come at a better time.”
As part of the assessment, a team of FAO experts will assist Eswatini’s Competent Authorities in food safety through various assessment steps, culminating with the development of a set of recommendations and a strategic framework to facilitate their implementation. The project aims to assist Eswatini in adhering to international standards that will allow greater harmonization and trade in the region.
Launch of the project and training of focal points
The training took place in the Happy Valley Hotel and Casino in Mbabanefrom 23 January to 27 January 2023, and included presentations, discussions, and case studies to train focal points of the Competent Authorities on the technical aspects of the Tool and also on their respective responsibilities and activities in the subsequent phases of the project. The activities included data collection across the whole food control system.
Simelane called on all stakeholders to cooperate fully in the next phase of the project as it will be beneficial to the government and to businesses and will “enable the opening of this window for the export of Eswatini products internationally.”
Read more about the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment Tool
Read more about the Kingdom of Eswatini
See the website for the FAO Subregional Office for Southern Africa of which the FAO Eswatini Office is part
Photo: ©FAO/Ivor Coglin