Third PACA Partnership Platform Meeting

2-4 October 2018, in DAKAR, SENEGAL. Third PACA Partnership Platform Meeting (PPM) Theme: “Scaling-up Country-led Approaches for Sustainable Aflatoxin Mitigation in Africa”.

The PPM is organized biennially in order to allow for information sharing, accountability of various stakeholders and identification of systemic challenges to aflatoxin prevention and control and co-creation of solutions. 

The 3rd PPM specifically looked at the successes and challenges in the implementation of aflatoxins control efforts in the six PACA pilot countries namely; Malawi, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, The Gambia and Uganda, and identify best practices for implementation in the rest of Africa.

Other major highlights at the 3rd PPM included the following:

• Market Place exhibitions; and
• A dinner and awards ceremony to recognize and award Champions of Change; which, in collaboration with Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Sight and Life and Mars Incorporated, included an award of $15,000 seed fund each for two researchers in Africa.

African Union Commission Chairperson, H.E Moussa Faki Mahamat (see picture) urged all AU Member States to tackle the impact of Aflatoxins through a strong continental vision supported by robust political will, as well as the establishment of the necessary technical structures and the promotion of coordinated approaches.

Officially opening the PACA PPM, the Prime Minister of Senegal, H.E Mahammed Boun Abdallah (see picture) Dionne, reiterated the country’s commitment to mitigating aflatoxins and stressed the importance of using different measures including bio-controls such as Aflasafe, a natural biological product that reduces aflatoxin contamination at pre-harvest stage.

Senegal is one of the six pilot countries that the AUC’s PACA Secretariat is working with in Africa. H.E Dionne restated Senegal’s commitment to working with the AUC and also with its famers and producers to fight the aflatoxin scourge.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture,
H.E Amb. Josefa Sacko (see picture) assured the meeting of AUC's commitment to replicate the PACA Country-led approach in the six pilot countries in mitigating aflatoxins to the rest of the continent.

“The Commission has been supporting the pilot countries in developing and implementing a country-led aflatoxin control action plan to address the aflatoxin problem in a coordinated and impactful manner. The results have so far been remarkable and we would like to replicate the experience in all the 55 countries of Africa.”

Meanwhile, PACA in collaboration with the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA), launched the Africa Food Safety Index, a project that will institutionalize food safety tracking and capacity building in Africa through the Malabo Declaration Biennial Review reporting system. CTA Director, Dr. Michael Hailu (see picture) announced the collaboration, noting that food safety is one of the pillars of food security.

The 3rd PACA PPM’s official opening ceremony was also graced by Ministers and senior
government officials from AU Member States; farmers; civil society; development partners and the media.

Extracts of the agenda
Parallel Side Events:

• Africa food safety index: consultation and validation of the concept and next steps; convener: AU, CTA, FAO, WHO, IAEA, Nestle, SODIFITEX
• Scaling aflatoxin mitigation technologies and practices: lessons from the field; convener: IITA
• Non-state actors – role in scaling aflatoxin control approaches; convener: CAADP CNC
• Communicating effectively for enhanced aflatoxin control and mitigation of impacts; convener: CAADP Journalists Network
• Policy sensitization on food safety and aflatoxin control; convener: PACA and partners



Dr. Harvey Jagger
Innovation Lab for the
Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss

• Post-harvest mitigation strategies for aflatoxin reduction; convener: Feed the Future Innovation Lab for the Reduction of Post-Harvest Loss (see pictures on the right)

Technical Session 2b: Scene-Setting – Principles and Practice of scaling:

• Input presentation: concepts and models for scaling: Fatunbi Oluwole, Forum for Agricultural Research for Africa
• Scaling in practice: Chile’s experience in Aflatoxin mitigation: Pedro Enriquez Alfaro, Ministry of Agriculture of Chile
• Regional experience in scaling: Brett Rierson, Global Postharvest Management Center of Excellence, World Food Programme
• Industry experience in scaling: Bob Baker, Mars Incorporated
• Industry experience in scaling: Kimwanga Mhando, East African Grain Council
• Lessons from Scaling Up Nutrition: SUN representative



Dr. Ahmed Kablan USAID

• Table Buzz Groups: What key elements should be considered in scaling Aflatoxin control in Africa - what works and what doesn’t work?

PAEPARD and
Access Agriculture

Technical Session 4: Exploring Opportunities for Scaling Aflatoxin Management

• Scaling Aflasafe: Scene setting presentation by Abdou Konlambigue, Aflasafe Technology Transfer & Commercialization Program
• Scaling good pre-harvest, storage and handling practices; scene setting presentation by Nigeria
• Trade & markets: market linkages at scale and capturing opportunities and incentives of AfCFTA; scene setting presentation by Prudence Sebahizi, Department of Trade and Industry, AUC



Launch of two new videos
on aflatoxins in maize

• Nutrition: scaling options to mitigate the public health effects of aflatoxins; scene setting presentation by Penjani Mkwanbula, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition