INFORMATION ON SPS ACTIVITIES OF THE AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION

Communication from the African Union

The following communication, received on 24 June 2024, is being circulated at the request of the African Union.

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1  Introduction

1.1.  The African Union Commission (AUC) Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy, and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) is responsible for coordinating continent-wide initiatives in agriculture, fisheries, food and nutrition security, strengthening the resilience of African food production systems, facilitating harmonization of agricultural and knowledge support systems policies, mobilizing resources to address implementation of priority issues in the continent and advocacy for implementation of priority programmes in Africa.

1.2.  This report covers the AUC SPS activities undertaken from April to June 2024 in line with the implementation of the African Union Sanitary and Phytosanitary Policy Framework, Animal Health Strategy, Food Safety Strategy for Africa and Plant Health Strategy for Africa. The policy framework and strategies are aligned with Africa's economic integration agenda and related instruments including the AfCFTA Annex 7 on SPS.

2  African Union Sanitary and Phytosanitary Coordination Forum

2.1.  The African Union SPS Coordination Forum convened its fourth session on 13–14 May 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana. The forum was attended by African Union institutions, Regional Economic Communities, regional and international cooperating partners. The meeting was instrumental in contributing to strengthening coordination and implementation of science-based sanitary and phytosanitary systems on the continent to address the emerging and re-emerging threats posed by food borne hazards, plant pests and animal diseases including climate change. This is in line with the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) commitments and other AU initiatives.

3  Scientific Exchange Programme (SEP) Fellows' Workshop

3.1.  The African Union Commission, in collaboration with USDA/FAS and Mississippi State University (MSU), organized a Scientific Exchange Programme (SEP) Fellows' workshop on 15 May 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana. The purpose of this workshop was to share updates on the scientific projects that fellows from Africa were working on under the SEP.

4  African Growth and Development Policy (AGRODEP) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Network Training Workshop

4.1.  The African Union Commission, in collaboration with Akademiya2063 (A2063) and the United States Department of Agriculture/ Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS), convened the African Growth and Development Policy (AGRODEP) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Network Training Workshop. The workshop provided an opportunity for participants to learn about continental SPS policy frameworks, SPS issues, good regulatory practices (GRP), data and methods that can be applied to studying SPS policy issues. The training workshop was held on 16–17 May 2024 in Gaborone, Botswana.

5  Regional SPS Coordination Mechanisms Strengthened

5.1.  The African Union Commission supported a meeting to revise the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Sanitary and Phytosanitary Regulations and Strategy as well as development of food safety, plant and animal health implementation plans for animal health, plant health and food safety technical working groups. The meeting took place in Nairobi, Kenya on 22‑30 April 2024. The outputs of the meeting were the draft SPS regulations and Strategy including implementation plans.

6  National SPS Coordination Mechanisms Strengthened

6.1.  The African Union Commission, in collaboration with FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for Africa, supported a training workshop for strengthening the National Codex Contact point and the National Codex Committee for Eswatini and Mauritania. The training workshops were held on 3‑5 April in Mbabane, Eswatini and on 24 to 26 June 2024 in Nouakchott, Mauritania. The participants were drawn from the public and private sectors. This training workshops also provided an opportunity for participants to enhance their understanding of the process for soliciting support from the Codex Trust Fund.

7  16^th Pan African Chief Veterinary Officers (CVOs) meeting

7.1.  The African Union Commission convened the 16^th Pan African CVOs meeting from 14 to 16 May 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya to dialogue and develop African positions on priority WOAH standards for the 91^st Session of WOAH. This CVOs meeting was preceded by a WOAH capacity building event on transparency and WOAH standard setting.

8  Upcoming SPS Activities

-_        Convene a workshop to develop and validate the SPS communication strategy, action plan and corporate brand; July 2024, Kampala, Uganda;

-_        Convene a consultative meeting on SPS prior to Post-Malabo Discussions; August 2024, Entebbe, Uganda;

-_        Conduct a benchmarking and training workshop on Good Hygienic Practices and HACCP for SMEs involved in priority value chains; August 2024, Lusaka, Zambia;

-_        Conduct a consultative workshop on the development of Rapid Alert Systems for Food and Feed in Africa; August 2024, Lusaka, Zambia;

-_        Strengthen the national enquiry points and national notification authorities of member States; support the convening of AfCFTA Sub-Committee on SPS measures; September 2024, Lusaka, Zambia;

-_        Training of the National SPS Committee for Burkina Faso; September 2024.

9  Conclusion

9.1.  The African Union Commission extends its gratitude to the European Union, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Standards and Trade Development Facility, the World Bank, the International Livestock Research Institute and other development partners for their invaluable support of the SPS activities undertaken by the African Union, its member States and Regional Economic Communities. This collaboration plays a crucial role in strengthening our collective efforts to enhance food safety, plant, and animal health across the continent, contributing significantly to the well‑being and prosperity of our communities.

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