A landmark development for the African continent, the Africa Food Safety Agency (AfFSA) has been formally established to tackle pervasive food safety challenges. This groundbreaking, centralized body, explored in a recent npj Science of Food article (Ayalew et al., 2025), is the first of its kind, offering a detailed blueprint for coordinating policies, bolstering risk assessment, and ultimately enhancing food security and economic development for African Union Member States.
The African Union: continental leadership and integration
The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of 55 member States that was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organization of African Unity (OAU). As Africa’s premier institution and principal organization for the promotion of accelerated socio-economic integration of the continent, the AU is the central forum for advancing collective interests, cooperation, and coordination among African states.
AU’s vision is ‘an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena’.
Its initiatives span political integration, economic development, security cooperation, health policy coordination, and agricultural advancement. The organization works through various specialized technical offices, commissions, and agencies that address sector-specific challenges across the continent. Key policy frameworks such as Agenda 2063 and the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) guide the AU’s strategic direction toward continental integration and sustainable development.
Background and rationale
Food safety stands as an essential bedrock of food security, public health, and economic development globally. However, Africa is disproportionately affected by unsafe foods, with over 91 million people affected by foodborne diseases annually, resulting in 137,000 deaths. Despite representing only 16% of the global population, the continent accounts for one-third of mortality due to foodborne illness.
The economic impact is equally concerning. Beyond productivity losses and medical costs, unsafe foods significantly undermine the competitiveness of African agriculture in global trade. Aflatoxin contamination alone costs the continent $670 million each year in lost export opportunities. These challenges highlight why improving food safety is not a luxury but a necessity for African agri-food systems.
In a landmark decision, the African Union (AU) Assembly of Heads of State and Government adopted the Statute for the establishment of the Africa Food Safety Agency on February 16, 2025. This specialized technical institution of the AU will be tasked with:
- coordinating and harmonizing food safety policies and regulations;
- providing centralized risk assessment capacity and a food safety data hub.
Recent development of food safety governance at the AU
The governance of food safety within the African Union (AU) has emerged only in recent years, indicating that it is still in the early stages of institutional consolidation. Existing AU institutions addressing specific sectors of health include:
- AU Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR): Focuses on coordinating and supporting animal health and production across the continent.
- Pan-African Tsetse and Trypanosomiasis Eradication Campaign (PATTEC): Dedicated to eradicating tsetse flies and combating trypanosomiasis, a disease affecting livestock and human populations.
- Pan-African Veterinary Vaccine Centre (AU-PANVAC): Specialises in quality control for veterinary vaccines and serves as a reference centre for African countries.
- Inter-African Phytosanitary Council (AU-IAPSC): Works on harmonising plant health and phytosanitary measures among member states.
Despite these institutions, there is no dedicated AU body responsible for coordinating and overseeing food safety across the continent. This absence highlights a critical gap in the AU’s health governance infrastructure, especially considering the interconnected nature of food systems and public health.
The first significant decision regarding food safety came in 2012 when the Joint Conference of Ministers of Trade and Ministers of Agriculture established the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA), recognizing the complex nature of aflatoxin challenges across public health, agriculture, and trade sectors.
Further developments included the AU Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Programme (CAADP) Biennial Review mechanism, which began tracking food safety using the Africa Food Safety Index in 2018. The AU also supported evidence generation through country situational analyses in aflatoxin control and food safety assessments, benefiting 18 African countries. In 2020, the AU developed a continental Food Safety Strategy for Africa, which was adopted by AU policy organs in 2021/2022.
The effort to establish a continental institution for food safety began around 2011/2012 and gained momentum during the institutional reform of the African Union, culminating in the adoption of the AfFSA Statute on 16 February 2025.
Africa Food Safety Agency: objectives
The main objectives of Africa Food Safety Agency (AfFSA), according to the adopted Statute, include:
- promoting modernization and harmonization of food safety policies and regulations;
- coordinating food safety initiatives at the continental level;
- strengthening Member States’ capacity to improve food control systems;
- promoting availability of food safety data and serving as a center of expertise for risk assessment;
- elevating consumer and industry awareness;
- coordinating implementation of the Food Safety Strategy for Africa.
AfFSA: specific functions
To fulfill its objectives, AfFSA will undertake specific functions including:
- guiding modernization of national food safety systems;
- strengthening capacities for scientific advice and food risk analysis;
- establishing a continental food safety data hub and rapid alert system;
- supporting laboratories for official controls;
- improving food safety certification processes;
- supporting participation in international standard-setting;
- developing professional skills;
- fostering intersectoral collaboration between relevant institutions.
Implementation approach and timeline
The operationalization of AfFSA will follow a comprehensive approach along three parallel tracks:
- institutional establishment will involve creating a fully functional Secretariat in an official host country and developing governance frameworks;
- advanced food safety data systems will be developed, including a continental data hub with rapid alert mechanism, traceability system, and regional centers;
- capacity building and stakeholder engagement will focus on strengthening food control authorities and businesses, launching public awareness campaigns, and fostering collaboration.
These components will be advanced simultaneously to avoid delays in the functioning of the Agency. The AfFSA is anticipated to be fully operational by the end of 2026.
Significance for stakeholders
The establishment of AfFSA offers significant benefits to various stakeholders. For AU Member States, it provides a continental coordinated approach, shared experience and capacity, central risk assessment capacity, and leveraged funding. Regional Economic Communities will benefit from capacity building, support for harmonization of policies, and inter-REC coordination. Trading partners will experience promotion of trade through reduced non-tariff barriers and harmonized standards. Development partners will move away from fragmented initiatives and enjoy reduced transaction costs. Consumers and the general public will benefit from increased political will to improve food safety and enhanced participation in global standard setting.
Call to action
To support the operationalization of AfFSA, key stakeholders are encouraged to take specific actions:
- AU Member State governments should participate in the bidding process to host the agency and support the establishment of necessary structures;
- Regional Economic Communities should lead initiatives to boost capacities in food safety data and regional harmonization of policies;
- UN agencies and development partners are called upon to provide technical and financial support;
- research and academia should support capacity building and serve in risk assessment panels;
- civil society organizations are encouraged to play active roles in advocacy campaigns and integrate food safety in health and nutrition messaging.
Interim conclusions
The establishment of the Africa Food Safety Agency represents a significant step forward in addressing food safety challenges across the continent. By serving diverse stakeholders including AU Member States, regional economic communities, trading partners, development partners, and consumers, the agency aims to deliver safe food within Africa while driving international trade in safe food.
Key contributions will include modernization of national food safety systems, strengthened capacities in food risk analysis, improved generation and use of credible food safety data, enhanced food safety certification processes, workforce development, and fostering of collaboration among various stakeholders. Through these efforts, AfFSA has the potential to make a substantial impact on public health, food security, and economic development across Africa.
Let us champion the future of food safety across Africa!
#Égalité
Dario Dongo
References
- African Union. (2000). Constitutive Act of the African Union. https://au.int/en/treaties/constitutive-act-african-union
- African Union. (2025a). Kampala CAADP Declaration on Building Resilient and Sustainable Agrifood Systems in Africa. Adopted by the Extraordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government on the Post-Malabo CAADP Agenda, January 9-11, 2025, Kampala, Uganda. https://au.int/en/documents/20250111/kampala-declaration
- African Union. (2025b). Statute of Africa Food Safety Agency. Adopted by the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government, February 12-16, 2025, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. https://au.int/en/treaties/statute-africa-food-safety-agency
- African Union. (2025c). CAADP Strategy and Action Plan, 2026-2035. African Union. https://au.int/en/documents/20250301/caadp-strategy-and-action-plan-2026-2035
- African Union. (2025, March 5). African Union adopts the statute for the establishment of a continental food safety agency. https://au.int/en/pressreleases/20250305/african-union-adopts-statute-establishment-continental-food-safety-agency
- Ayalew, A., Sintayehu, W., Chunga-Sambo, W., & Edeme, J. (2025). Perspective on the new Africa Food Safety Agency. npj Science of Food, 9, 70. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00427-6
- World Health Organization. (2015). WHO Estimates of the Global Burden of Foodborne Diseases: Foodborne Disease Burden Epidemiology Reference Group 2007-2015. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241565165
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
