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.
As the new CCAFRICA Coordinator, The Gambia commits to serve as a strong pillar in codex work for the African region and will provide strong leadership and positive influence for a better, stronger, and united Africa in food safety and trade facilitation while leaving no one behind.
Our priority focus would be on effective participation in Codex work, capacity development, advocacy, resource mobilsation and harmonization of standards, guidelines, and regulations. The completed CCAFRICA implementation plan of the Codex Strategic Plan 2026 – 2031, will be the basis for consolidating and galvanizing the CCAFRICA region to achieve the goals of the Codex five-year plan.
Effective and sustained communication and consultation with members, stakeholders, partners and the Codex secretariat will be the basic tool for our success. We will leverage on existing tools and platforms while at the same time embracing new technologies in closing the digital divide. Together, we will make the food in the region safer, more nutritious, and highly tradable.
By Lusubilo Mwamakamba (WHO AFRO), Hakim Mufumbiro (CCAFRICA), Sansan Kambire (FAO RAF)
On 10 September 2025, the regional offices for Africa of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO RAF), the World Health Organization (WHO AFRO), the African Union–InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), the FAO/WHO Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA), and the Codex Trust Fund (CTF) Secretariat jointly hosted a continent-wide webinar. The event aimed at sharing best practices and lessons learned in strengthening national Codex [...]
The National Workshop on Advocacy and Dissemination of Food Safety Policy Briefs to high level policy and decision makers was held on 14 August 2025 in Dodoma, Tanzania, with support from the FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund group project.
The workshop was opened by Ashura Katunzi, Director General of the Tanzania Bureau of Standards (TBS), and officially inaugurated by Suleiman Serere, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
The event brought together permanent secretaries and directors of policy and planning (DPPs) [...]
With the support of the Independent Regulatory Authority for Health (ERIS), Cabo Verde has been strengthening its national capacities in Codex Alimentarius matters through the FAO/WHO Codex Trust Fund II (CTF II).
This video is one of the outcomes of the activities carried out under the Cabo Verde CTF II Project. It seeks to raise awareness about the importance of Codex and its work, whose standards are recognized worldwide as the key references for food producers, regulatory authorities, consumers, and the [...]
Nigeria's Codex Contact Point convened a training programme for new National Codex Committee (NCC) members on understanding the structure and functioning of Codex. This was followed by the 3rd quarter, 2025 NCC meeting as scheduled in the NCC 2025 meetings work plan.
The first day of the two-day programme included the training of NCC members on theoretical and practical sessions, covering important aspects to increase their knowledge and skills required to effectively contribute to Codex work.
The 3rd quarter NCC meeting was convened [...]
Zambia, with support from the Codex Trust Fund and African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), held a hands-on training 29-31 July 2025, in Livingstone, Zambia, to equip national key stakeholders and experts with practical knowledge and skills on Codex procedures and the use and application of electronic working tools.
The hybrid session was facilitated by Hakim Mufumbiro, the Coordinator of the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA), John Oppong-Otoo, Food Safety Coordinator at AU-IBAR, Benoit Gnonlonfin from the Centre [...]
A regional East African Community (EAC) Training of Trainers (ToT) session on data generation to support Codex standards setting activities was held in Zanzibar, Tanzania, 23–25 July 2025. The event was supported by the Codex Trust Fund group project as well as the EAC Market Access Upgrade Programme (MARKUP II), which is implemented through the International Trade Centre.
The ToT was facilitated by the Global Food Regulatory Science Society, which is led by former Codex Alimentarius Commission Vice-Chairperson, Prof. Samuel Godefroy. [...]
Rasaq Oke, food technologist from Fooddotcomacademy Services in Nigeria, contributed to a food safety workshop organized by the Lagos State Safety Commission with the theme "Food Safety First: Protecting Consumers, empowering Industries" where he spoke on "The Critical Role of Science in Ensuring a Safe Food for in Nigeria" as a Guest Speaker.
He said: “We believed that to bolster consumer protection and strengthen food industry standards, concerted efforts from all stakeholders (experts, regulators and industry leaders, etc) across Nigeria’s food value [...]
OSOA FOODS, a Nigerian food processing consultancy, celebrated World Food Safety Day 26 June in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare Abuja, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Lagos State Ministry of Health, Lagos State Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture and Food Systems, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Lagos State Safety Commission, Lagos State Waste Management Agency (LAWMA), Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency, Small and [...]
The Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology (NIFST), Lagos Chapter, participated in the celebration of World Food Safety Day 2025 with several activities focused on creating awareness about safe food practices. These activities were aimed at informing the general public, market vendors, students, and small businesses on the importance of food safety in everyday life.
These included:
Market Advocacy at Sunday Market, Ogba.
On Wednesday 4 June 2025, in collaboration with the London Professional Training Centre (LPTC) and the Ministry of Health [...]
A young food safety enthusiast has created a food safety vide aimed at children to raise awareness about food safety on the occasion of World Food Safety Day.
The videos are shared across social media platforms
Watch the video
https://youtu.be/uQdTIRyqxHg?feature=shared*
Read more
World Food Safety Day 2025 news
* Please note, FAO, WHO and the World Food Safety Day team do not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of the data, information or messages or any other material contained in these links, any copyright claims for [...]
.png)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
