EVALUATION TIME - PACA evaluates decade -long aflatoxin management strategy
The hybrid meeting aims to evaluate the strategy & current state of aflatoxin control across the continent and strategize the formulation of a new continental approach as part of ensuring food safety
LILONGWE, Malawi (Planet Defence) - The African Union Commission's flagship program, advocating for food safety, the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), will conduct an assessment of successes and challenges in implementing its 10-year strategy for managing aflatoxins on the continent.
Scheduled for December 6-7 in Nairobi, Kenya, this hybrid gathering, known as the Partnership Platform Meeting (PPM), forms the cornerstone of PACA's structure. It provides a forum for various stakeholders to exchange information, identify challenges, devise innovative solutions, and ensure accountability.
The theme for the 4th PACA PPM is “A Decade of Aflatoxin Control – Reflecting on the Past and Defining the Future of Aflatoxin Control in Africa.” The meeting aims to evaluate the current state of aflatoxin control across the continent and strategize the formulation of a new continental approach.
Recognizing the role of aflatoxin control in ensuring safe, nutritious food for Africa's population and promoting intra-regional trade, discussions at the 4th PACA PPM will also align with the AU's theme on accelerating the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
PACA's country-led model has proven successful as a comprehensive and sustainable approach to mitigating aflatoxins. This model has been consolidated into a Strategic Framework for Scaling Holistic Country-Led Model for Aflatoxin Control in Africa, endorsed during the 36th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in February 2020.
The decision emphasized the continued integration of aflatoxin control into National Agriculture Investment Plans (NAIPs) and other national frameworks for sustainable implementation by all AU Member States.
The fourth PPM, initially scheduled for October 2020, was postponed due to challenges posed by the global Covid-19 Pandemic. Its upcoming occurrence aligns with the significant milestone of 10 years of the PACA program and the AU's dedicated efforts to address this prevalent food safety issue.
With the end of the PACA continental strategy lifespan (2013-2022), the 4th PPM will primarily focus on assessing successes and challenges in strategy implementation, facilitating shared lessons, and fostering continual improvement for future initiatives. Reflections on PACA's evolution are crucial in defining interventions for the next decade of aflatoxin mitigation.
Over the last decade, PACA has emerged as a global leader in aflatoxin control and food safety. It hosts biennial Partnership Platform Meetings (PPMs) to convene diverse stakeholders committed to a common goal: mitigating aflatoxins across Africa.
“Through PACA, the Commission has worked with six African Union member states namely; (Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, The Gambia and Uganda) and (RECs), namely ECOWAS, COMESA and EAC, for 4 – 5 years, to pilot models for holistic country-led approaches for aflatoxin control and successfully
mainstreamed aflatoxin control in national systems of all the six countries,” Dr. Amare Ayalew, Programme Manager, PACA told Planet Defence in Lusaka, Zambia.
The first and second PACA PPMs were held in October 2014 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and in October 2016 in Entebbe, Uganda, respectively. The third PPM took place in October 2018 in Dakar, Senegal, themed “Scaling up Country-Led Models for Sustainable Aflatoxin Mitigation in Africa”. It contributed substantial insights on scaling the country-led model, piloted in six focus countries and executed in five stages: gathering evidence, plan development and validation, mainstreaming into national strategies, building government capacity, and progress monitoring and advocacy.