By Hakim B. Mufumbiro, Codex Office, UGANDA

On the margins of the recently concluded 48th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC48), a high-level advocacy event for African Missions in Rome was held on 13 November 2025 at FAO Headquarters. This was the first time that diplomatic representatives from the African region were were convened to build collective support for food safety and Codex activities across the continent. The event saw attendance from Ambassadors, Agricultural Attachés, and delegates from the region who were already present for CAC48.

The main objective of the high-level advocacy event was to create awareness among the representatives from the different diplomatic missions to support with coordination arrangements and foster effective participation of the Member States in the work of Codex considering the far-reaching implications of the negotiations on technical matters discussed in the different international fora. The 2025 pronouncement by the African Union (AU) summit on the establishment of an African Food Safety Agency represents a critical game-changer for streamlining and strengthening agri-food systems in Africa. This strategic direction provides an excellent opportunity to promote and support modern reforms essential for building strong and resilient food control systems across the continent.

The session was necessitated considering data compiled by the Coordinator for Codex in Africa over the last five years regarding the participation of African countries in Codex activities which indicates an average of 20% of the Members in the region as being the most active. Empowering of the African Missions in Rome is one the innovative approaches to advocate for broader support within the respective Governments to prioritise investments towards Food Safety and Codex

H.E. Mrs. Elizabeth Paula Napeyok, Ambassador of Uganda in Italy in her welcome address amplified Uganda’s contribution as CCAFRICA Coordinator for the last 5 years in which members in the region were effectively engaged with the objective of increasing Africa’s collective participation and influence in Codex. She further indicated that success had been registered especially with regard to communication and publicity which has ultimately increased the visibility and contributed to raising the profile of Food safety and Codex on the Continent.

Dr. Sarah Cahill, Codex Secretary, underscored the critical relevance of food safety globally, noting that African Countries constitute up to 25% of all the Codex members and that hence an engagement with diplomatic missions was timely to ensure that African voices were heard in the international standards development processes. She also highlighted that CAC48 had approved new work to develop a standard for pasteurized liquid camel milk, a commodity that is widely produced in Africa.

The incoming CCAFRICA Coordinator, Mr. Mamodou Bah from The Gambia noted the need for supporting members to participate in sessions while advocating for the needed capacity development as well as increased budgets for Food Safety and Codex within the national systems.

In the same spirit, Codex Alimentarius Commission Chairperson, Dr. Allan Azegele reflected on the burden of foodborne diseases in Africa highlighting the need to establish strong linkages and coordination considering that Food Safety is a driver of economic transformation. He further called for integration of Codex standards in national and regional policies in order to reap the full benefits.

John Oppong-Otoo of the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) picked up that same point: “The cost of unsafe food in Africa is extremely high and the solutions for averting the situation rests with us,” he said. He further shared lessons that the region can learn from some of Africa’s top performing commodities emphasizing why Food Safety matters. He called for elevation of Food Safety in Diplomatic and development dialogues as well as careful integration of Food Safety into Food Security and Nutrition Conversations.

The Codex Secretariat provided a high-level summary of the key focus areas of the new Codex Strategic Plan such as the different approaches that Codex standards should take into consideration while contributing to other global issues and the need to maximize the impact of Codex by increasing the visibility and use of standards.

The high-level advocacy meeting agreed to the following recommendations and actions:

• African Missions in Rome to enhance representation of African Countries in International Standards Setting Organizations such as Codex
• Establish strong liaison within Codex Contact Points such as through having the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in National Codex Committees
• Enhance coordination to complement and strengthen the management of Food Safety initiatives at the continental and regional levels, such as through the work of the Africa Food Safety Agency
• Create awareness among members of the African Regional Group in Rome with a view to increasing knowledge of members regarding Codex work so that they can advocate for it better in FAO Governance bodies, including increasing funding for Codex
• Advocate for strategic prioritization of investments in national budgets for Codex and Food Safety systems
• Elevate Food Safety in Diplomatic and Development dialogues especially in Food Security strategic engagements held at international level
• Support the effective operationalization of the Africa Food Safety Agency and African Union – Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed
• Engage and build structured collaboration with the Private Sector to support Codex and Food Safety initiatives in the Continent
• African Missions in Rome encouraged to coordinate with African Missions in Geneva to ensure the coherent intervention and support for Codex work
• Heads of African Missions to assign the Agriculture Attaches or relevant Officials to participate in all Codex meetings held in Rome

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CAC48 / African parliamentarians are urged to advocate for Codex in a Commission side event

Photo credit © FAO/Codex Ilaria Tarquinio