At a time when, internationally, countries are competing with each other in terms of standardisation, we note that in West Africa and the Sahel, little scientific data is provided for the development of standards in the agri-food sector.
To find a lasting solution, the ECOWAS Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development (DADR), with the support of its partners, invited more than 50 experts to reflect on and propose an innovative data generation mechanism to contribute to the work of the Codex Alimentarius from 28 to 30 August in Lomé.
The three days of discussions provided an opportunity to build the capacity of experts to fill this data gap, in order to improve monitoring, inspection and data generation to produce reliable results, and to take advantage of the comparative advantages of laboratories in the region for capacity building and forward, medium- and long-term planning.
In addition, the exchanges also contributed to the networking of laboratories at national and regional level and facilitated the continuous flow of information on Codex data requirements and their integration into national food analysis activities and research programmes.
Participants also identified priority Codex work for the region relating to contaminants, food additives, pesticides and veterinary medicines, and food and microbiological hygiene.
Organised by ECOWAS with the support of the Inter-African Bureau for African Resources (AU-IBAR), the FAO, the WHO and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Codex-US office, this meeting was held within the framework of the actions of the regulatory convergence forum on food safety set up in July 2022 and therefore constitutes a satellite platform for reflection and data generation for the work of Codex.
The meeting ended with discussions on the procedural and governance issues involved in setting up the ECOWAS and Sahel Regional Food Safety Laboratory Network.
