On behalf of the entire ATTC team, I wish you a warm, happy and aflatoxin-safe 2019.
I have no doubt that it will be a great year full of positive developments in our common agenda to combat aflatoxin in our food. It is no exaggeration to say that the year has started on a very good note. After the successful side event we co-hosted with the African Union’s Partnership on Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA) and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) at the 2018 AGRF, the first International Food Safety Conference organised jointly by FAO, WHO and AU has just been concluded, with bold and ambitious political resolutions.
We are working hard to contribute effectively to the food-safety agenda by expanding the scope and use of appropriate technologies and strategies, and by advocating for an enabling environment conducive to private-sector investment for safe food value chains. In this regard, I am delighted to inform you that Tanzania has now officially joined the cohort of countries where Aflasafe is commercially available, following the approval of Aflasafe’s registration by the national regulator. I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture, USDA, USAID and other national and international partners for their excellent collaboration that brought about this happy outcome.
As we continue to mobilise manufacturing and distribution partners and to increase Aflasafe distribution points so that we further shorten that last mile, we are at the same time building partnership with strategic development partners to accelerate, increase and expand Aflasafe use. Although it’s early days yet, we can already begin to see some results, as you will witness: in this edition, we bring you the voices of agribusinesses and farmers who have tested and/or have adopted Aflasafe alongside other aflatoxin-beating technologies. These customer voices and perspectives are a sound reality check and benchmark in assessing our progress, and also in helping us address – from an informed perspective – the real-world challenges that Aflasafe users are facing.
Allow me to highlight here key stories and major progress that you will have the pleasure to discover in this 5th edition:
- Greenlight from the regulators for the commercialisation of Aflasafe in Tanzania
- Voices from agribusiness in Senegal and farmers in The Gambia on their experience with Aflasafe
- Demonstrating that Aflasafe works to agribusinesses through live eye-witness field testing in Ghana and Burkina Faso
- ATTC at the 3rd PACA Partnership Platform Meeting
As 2019 unfolds, we will continue to journey into new territories – both literally and metaphorically, as we explore partnerships and strategies to get Aflasafe into farmers’ hands and nurture and drive demand for aflatoxin-safe food. And as our partners increasingly become Aflasafe’s main bearers, we will be travelling along as guides, providing support and helping to solve the challenges that emerge along the way. We have already embarked on this process of transition and adaptation, as you will witness in this edition. We look forward to your company as we journey through a bright year to come.
Abdou Konlambigue
Managing Director, Aflasafe Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, IITA
February 2019
