A new initiative was initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) with money from the African Development Bank (AFDB) with the goal of enhancing food safety laboratory capacity and fortifying food control systems in East Africa (EAC).
This project has the potential to significantly alter the long-term food safety situation in the region, which is one of its biggest effects.
Farayi Zimudzi, the FAO coordinator for the EAC sub-region, stated during the launch on September 3rd at the Golden Tulip Hotel that inadequate and antiquated food safety regulations and policies are a major cause of the problems with food safety in Africa.
“Increased levels of noncompliance with international market standards are the result of inefficient food control systems’ limited capacity to maintain routine control activities.”
Zimudzi stated that by unifying food safety standards and laws in the five participating nations—Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania—it will do away with discrepancies and inconsistencies in food safety regulations, guaranteeing that all parties involved follow the same set of guidelines.
“Producers will adopt best practices as a result of consistent standards, ensuring that their products meet or exceed international safety requirements,” she continued.
By bringing national food systems into compliance with international standards, the project—which is being carried out in collaboration with the German International Development Cooperation (GIZ), the East Africa Community (EAC), the Association of Official Agricultural Chemists (AOAC), and the International Food Safety Laboratory (IFSL) of Canada—aims to improve the agricultural competitiveness of the region.
The project presents a transformative potential for agriculture in East Africa, according to Dr. Patience Rwemigisa, assistant commissioner of agricultural extension at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (MAAIF).
We can improve the quality and marketability of our agricultural products, open up new export markets, and make a substantial economic contribution to the region by fortifying our food safety systems.
“We can draw premium prices, win over more customers’ trust, and set ourselves apart in the international market with enhanced food safety. This will boost economic growth and lessen poverty by giving farmers, processors, and exporters new opportunities, the speaker claims.
65–70% of Africa’s labour force is employed in the agricultural sector, which generates roughly 23% of the continent’s GDP, according to the World Bank. East African agricultural exports made up $11.3 million of all world trade in 2018 and contributed 25–30% of the continent’s GDP.
The region’s major export revenues are realised predominantly from coffee, tea, vegetables as well as cut flowers. In Uganda, the agri-food industry contributed over 24% of GDP and 35% of export revenue in the 2021/22 fiscal year. In Kenya, it contributed 25% of GDP; in Rwanda and Tanzania, it contributed 29%; in South Sudan, it contributed 9.1%.
Dr Blaise Ouattara the food safety and quality officer at FAO said that the project’s focus on increasing laboratory capacity will help nations to detect and respond to food safety issues more efficiently.
Through bolstering surveillance networks and enhancing laboratory testing capacities, the area will be more prepared to stop and manage food-borne illness outbreaks.
