Introduction and background

The Guideline on the harmonisation of food safety standards, legislations and regulations defines a consistent, effective and sustainable programme for harmonisation of food safety standards and legislations on the African continent. It is meant to facilitate the prioritisation and integration of food safety issues in relevant harmonised regional, sub-regional and national standards, legislations and regulations to promote fair trade practices and consumer protection.

To ensure that all countries have strong food safety control systems and institutions as well as adequate policies, standards and legal frameworks that are adequately harmonized, it is important that a quick reference guide is co-developed by Member States for use by countries and sub-regions to help them manage the process more efficiently. This guideline was the result of scoping missions to some RECs and Member States, online surveys, food safety consultative workshops with stakeholders and review of documents, all of which were organised, facilitated and funded by African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD).  

Within the CAADP Result Area A (ii), AUDA-NEPAD is expected to have an oversight role and support countries to initiate national and regional food safety policies, standards, laws and guidelines; and promote legislation on tracking and monitoring process, including traceability systems. In view of this, the AUDA-NEPAD organized a meeting to present  the first draft guidelines on harmonization of food safety legislations and standards for review by sub-regional and national stakeholders, which was held from 25 to 26 February 2020 in Lagos, Nigeria.

The guideline defines (i) the objectives and scope of the food safety standards and regulations harmonisation programme, (ii) key considerations for successful harmonization outcomes, (iii) approaches adopted for the harmonisation of standards and regulations, (iv) roles and responsibilities of institutions, (v) guidelines for the maintenance of a listing or database of harmonised standards and regulations, and (vi) capacity development and awareness creation.

Participants and speakers input to shape the discussion

The first out of the  four webinars will take place on Thursday, 16th July  2020, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm CAT. Prior to the webinar,  speakers will be  requested  to submit presentations and any related information on Food Safety and quality management related issues.  In addition, the RECs, member States and the partners will share their comments and provide more insights on the existing food safety strategies and programmes to enrich the guidelines.   

Short presentations will be made by the speakers listed below, with the majority of the time allocated to dialogue and deliberation.  The panel discussion will feature representatives from respective RECs, Member States and  development partners to deepen the discussion on the drafted guidelines.