Food safety is a pressing issue in Africa, with foodborne illnesses affecting 91 million people and resulting in 137,000 deaths annually. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

On 16 February, the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during which the African Union (AU) adopted the statute for the establishment of the Africa Food Safety Agency

This decision marks a significant advancement in the continent's commitment to protecting consumer health, strengthening Africa’s food safety governance and facilitating trade in safe food products under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Food safety is a pressing issue in Africa, with foodborne illnesses affecting 91 million people and resulting in 137,000 deaths annually. According to the World Bank, lost productivity and medical costs result in annual losses amounting to US$110bn sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat emphasised the transformative impact of the establishment of the Africa Food Safety Agency as a crucial milestone in Africa’s journey towards a more integrated and prosperous continent. 

The Agency will establish a continental food safety data hub and rapid alert system, providing critical support to Member States in managing food safety risks and emergencies. It will also coordinate food safety initiatives at the continental level while complementing and strengthening the food safety coordination function of Regional Economic Communities.

"With the Africa Food Safety Agency, we are taking a decisive step towards transforming our agri-food systems. It will not only help protect public health but will also boost intra-African trade by facilitating the harmonisation of food safety standards and supporting our Member States in building robust food control systems." noted Josefa Sacko, the outgoing Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment.

The AU Commission has been tasked with fast-tracking the operationalisation of the Africa Food Safety Agency, including putting in place structures and establishing frameworks working together with Member States and partners.

The FAO has recognised the need to invest in training and development, highlighting it as crucial component of their mission. (Image source: FAO)

The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Regional Office for Africa (FAO-RAF) recently hosted a two-week training session in Harare, Zimbabwe, equipping staff from across Africa with critical skills and fostering valuable connections

Bringing together 130 participants from 47 FAO Country Offices, the training focused on enhancing project management, operations, and cross-functional teamwork. The purpose of the training was to encourage networking and the creation of a platform for participants to maintain connections across the continent.

The FAO has recognised the need to invest in training and development, highlighting it as crucial component of their mission. With budgetary constraints being the only thing holding them back, the FAO is keen on making the training a permanent biennial event. Subregional coordinator for Southern Africa (SFS) and FAO Representative in Zimbabwe, Patrice Talla, during the closing remarks, shared two inspiring stories that highlighted the adaptability and problem-solving skills required in the field.

To further strengthen collaboration and knowledge-sharing,Talla highlighted the creation of task forces and technical coordination units (TCUs) within the FAO's Southern Africa Subregional Office for Southern Africa. These platforms bring together staff from various country offices to address challenges, share best practices, and provide technical support.

Overall, the training session emerged successful and had a lasting impact on the participants, equipping them with the skills and connections needed to drive positive change in their respective countries.

The President's visit to Nigeria aligns with his efforts to mobilise expertise, innovation, and resources to build a sustainable food system in Sierra Leone. (Image source: State House Sierra Leone)

Sierra Leone's President Julius Maada Bio delivered a keynote address at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) headquarters in Ibadan, Nigeria

President Bio addressed hundreds of representatives from across Africa gathered to discuss food security and agricultural development, highlighting it as a systematic challenge that is not just about agricultural production but is intrinsically linked to economic growth, health, climate resilience, and national stability. He described it as a complexity that requires coordinated action across multiple sectors along with strong political will at the highest levels to achieve lasting solutions.

President Bio shared insights into his flagship initiative, the Feed Salone Initiative, which aims to revolutionise agriculture in Sierra Leone. Governor of Oyo State, Oluwaseyi Makinde, also commended President Bio for his strong leadership and political will in championing agricultural transformation through this initiative. 

“I firmly believe that research, innovation, and technology are the forces we must harness to drive Africa forward,” President Bio stated, underscoring the need for transformative approaches to agricultural development. He called for stronger partnerships, strategic investments, and the rapid adoption of innovative solutions, noting that these are crucial not only for securing the success of individual nations but also for advancing the entire continent.

The President's visit to Nigeria aligns with his efforts to mobilise expertise, innovation, and resources to build a sustainable food system in Sierra Leone. He reiterated his administration’s commitment to fostering an environment where research drives solutions, technology fosters progress, and investment creates genuine opportunities for farmers and agribusinesses. Moreover, he also urged stakeholders to embrace research-driven strategies and robust partnerships to create sustainable food security solutions for the continent.

Director-General of the IITA, Dr Simeon Ehui, also expressed his appreciation for President Bio's visit, emphasising that the strategy provides valuable lessons for the wider African continent. "The theme of this programme, ‘The Power of Improved Technology and Public-Private Partnerships to Accelerate the Feed Salone Strategy’, aligns perfectly with our mission,” he noted. 

President Bio and his delegation were also taken on a guided field tour, where they gained firsthand knowledge of ongoing agricultural research and technological advancements in Nigeria and the pioneering work being carried out by the IITA in Ibadan over the past five decades.

The adoption of this strategy is seen as a pivotal moment that will lay the groundwork for agri-food systems across the continent, and enable countries to act. (Image source: African Union)

As part of its new plan to achieve complete food security in a decade, the African Union (AU) has adopted a new agricultural development strategy that will see the continent increase its agrifood output by 45% by 2035 and transform its agri-food systems

With Africa's population likely to reach 2.5 billion by 2050, there will also be numerous challenges that the continent will experience in regard to food demand. This signifies the need to improve agricultural production, productivity, food processing, and trade.

The adoption of the new development strategy took place after the African Union Extraordinary Summit on the Post-Malabo Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) held in Kampala, Uganda, adopted the 10-year CAADP Strategy and Action Plan, and the Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa, which will be implemented from 2026 to 2035.

The strategy will ensure a reduction in Africa's post harvest loss by 50%, tripling intra-African trade in agrifood products and inputs by 2035, and raising the share of locally processed food to 35% of agrifood GDP by 2035. The adoption of this strategy is therefore seen as a pivotal moment that will lay the groundwork for agri-food systems across the continent, and enable countries to act.

"This Africa of having no food and begging is not the real Africa, but the colonial and neo-colonial Africa. It is a shame," said Uganda's President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, urging the extraordinary Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) to promote value addition. "The battle for value addition has been a big one because lobbies want to keep Africa as a raw-materials-producing continent. Adding value to agricultural products ensures vertical integration in the agricultural sector—from the garden to the table and from the farm to the wardrobe," he said.

He also called on fellow leaders regarding non-tariff barriers (NTBs), requesting them to open up the borders since they continue to undermine the advancement of agriculture in Africa. On his part, the AUC Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, noted that the ambitious CAADP Programme has been implemented since 2014 within the framework of the Malabo Declaration. He however, expressed dissatisfaction with the rate of progress. Preparatory work undertaken by the African Union Commission, AUDA-NEPAD, the Regional Economic Communities, experts from Member States, and technical and financial partners to form the Kampala Declaration was welcomed by the AUC chairperson.

Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie emphasised the urgent need renewed collective commitment and concerted action to achieve Africa’s shared vision for a food-sovereign and prosperous Africa, with the AU Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment, Amb. Josefa Sacko highlighting that the Kampala declaration was different from the Malabo and Maputo declarations since it included a comprehensive strategy and action plan.

According to AUC Chairperson, Faki, the Kampala Declaration symbolises collective efforts made upstream in identifying all the negative factors that lie at the root of the low rate of the attainment of our set objectives for the Agricultural sector on the continent. The AU Commissioner Sacko also highlighted that the new CAADP strategy and action plan 2026-2035 in Kampala would enable member states to start implementing soon after adoption, in turn shaping the transformation of Africa's agrifood systems over the next decade. 

“We now have a clear roadmap, a theory of change that outlines the pathway to transformation, realistic and implementable strategic objectives, a broad policy scope enhancing food system approaches, and targets that reflect the continent's aspirations,” Sacko said, adding that the inclusive design process ensures that the continent is well prepared to work towards the agriculture transformation vision outlined in Agenda 2063.