The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) have partnered to improve food safety and boost trade in East Africa. The initiative aims to strengthen food safety regulatory systems and enhance the competitiveness of agri-food businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
The project comes at a time when food quality standards are a rampant barrier to regional trade, with agri-food products being the largest traded commodities in the region.
Speaking at the project launch in Kampala, Patience Rwemigisa, the assistant commissioner for agricultural extension services in the Ministry of Agriculture, acknowledged that agriculture remains a pivotal sector for Africa’s socio-economic well-being due to its high potential.
He revealed that Uganda has recently concluded formulating its agri-food safety strategy, dubbed the Food Systems Strategic Analysis, under which a new authority will be established to regulate the sector. The new authority will be named the Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority.
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According to Rwemigisa, this national strategic plan, which is part of the fourth national development plan (NDPIV), prioritizes commercial agriculture by ensuring safety and standards by improving access to quality seeds and other inputs, investing in improved post-harvest storage and processing facilities and technologies, and increasing access to affordable and genuine veterinary drugs.
Dr. Blaise Quattara, the FAO food safety and quality officer for Africa and the project’s lead technical officer, said that the optimum result of the project intervention is to realize improved agri-food trade among the participating countries.
According to Quattara, there are challenges in ensuring food safety in trade, which the project aims to address. He adds that it mainly focuses on building the capacity of MSMEs to improve compliance and standardization.
He stated that the project has three components: laboratory enhancements, standardization programs, and capacity development.
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Farayi Zimudzi, the FAO sub-regional coordinator for East Africa, noted that the project will run for two years in Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, to strengthen national food safety systems.
Zimudzi added that the project is worth over USD 1 million, co-funded by the AfDB, FAO, and GIZ, with more partners still being sought to join the group.
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World Health Organization data shows that foodborne diseases cause 137,000 deaths and 91 million illnesses annually in Africa, representing a third of the global burden. The World Bank estimates that food safety issues cost developing countries up to $110 billion annually in lost productivity and medical expenses. Africa alone faces an estimated $16.7 billion loss due to food contamination.
The two-year project, to be implemented by FAO in collaboration with GIZ, the East African Community, AOAC, and the International Food Safety Laboratory of Canada, will focus on five countries. It aims to address food safety challenges, eliminate non-tariff barriers, and increase intra-African trade in agricultural products, contributing to industrialization and economic development.
