Issue 2, January–March 2018
Welcome!
 This second edition of ATTC News has a sumptuous and very distinct Nigerian flavour – but don’t worry. Our serving is not too peppery, and we’ll also be bringing you country-by-country roundups with the latest on Aflasafe commercialisation across Africa. Our biggest Quarter 1 news is the signing of our second Technology Transfer and Licensing Agreement, as we wave goodbye to our eldest daughter and place Aflasafe™ in the hands of our partner, Harvestfield Industries Ltd, for manufacture and distribution in Nigeria. Progress continues apace in Kenya, Senegal and The Gambia too, as well as in Burkina Faso and Ghana. We have updates on Aflasafe registration, factory construction, production and distribution. You’ll also find a message from our Managing Director; our latest multimedia materials, online content and news coverage; and some great achievements from our R&D team. Please read on!
A word from the ATTC MD, Abdou Konlambigue
Our Managing Director succinctly sums up what we accomplished last year, and our plans for 2018, including projected expansion to a whole new country. More
Latest news
Nigeria: Large-scale commercialisation cemented as our eldest daughter leaves home, and we’re singing her praises in many tongues
 On 12th March 2018, a formal Technology Transfer and Licensing Agreement (TTLA) was signed between the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and Harvestfield Industries Ltd. Sealed at a colourful ceremony crackling with energy and optimism, the agreement established the company as the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of Aflasafe™, our Nigerian product and our eldest child. It followed a rigorous process to find the perfect partner, and the relationship will continue as we transfer know-how and provide support to Harvestfield. More
Customised communication tools for each country to aid commercialisation
In Nigeria, as part of our support to Harvestfield, we have been busy producing multimedia materials in a range of Nigerian languages, including English, Igbo, Hausa, Pidgin and Yoruba. Leading the pack, we have straightforward how-to videos and leaflets for farmers, as well as an in-depth training manual. Bringing a touch of drama to proceedings, we have a video play in Pidgin on the benefits of using Aflasafe, also available in audio versions in various combinations of Pidgin dialects. Nigeria is also the subject of our very first country page on our website, combining all kinds of information on Aflasafe in Nigeria, from news to press cuttings to contact details.
We are working on all these resources for more countries, so please keep checking our resources page, where we currently have leaflets for The Gambia and Kenya, and a training manual for West Africa. A similar manual for Kenya is in production.
Aflatoxin awareness: an early harvest from Harvestfield
 In Nigeria, our communication tools have helped to backstop an ambitious, large-scale country-wide aflatoxin-awareness campaign by Harvestfield, getting out the message on this invisible killer and how Aflasafe can tackle it. The Harvestfield trainers had themselves received preparatory training from us at ATTC at the end of 2017. The first phase of the campaign ran in February, feeding into a second phase following the TTLA signing.
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An ear to the ground – our National Advisory Committees
To assure a well-informed commercialisation approach grounded in reality, National Advisory Committees (NACs) were set up in The Gambia, Nigeria and Senegal to guide sustainable, independent country commercialisation. All of them had their first meetings in February. Members are drawn from diverse areas and organisations, assuring an all-round perspective. Meet the Nigeria NAC members
Country roundups
Burkina Faso
Following the registration of Aflasafe BF01 in mid-2017, and an Investors Forum late last year, ATTC is now shortlisting partners to operationalise commercialisation, and will partner with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa to increase product awareness. More
Ghana
We’re delighted to announce that Aflasafe GH02 has been registered by Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency to protect groundnuts and maize from deadly aflatoxin. More
Kenya
The new Aflasafe KE01 factory is nearly complete, and production is already well underway. More
Nigeria
In yet another successful engagement with the private sector, a pilot project to ensure a steady supply of quality groundnuts for export has shown positive results. Olam Nigeria, an international trading company, supplied groundnut farmers with Aflasafe and offered them a guaranteed market, while ATTC trained extension agents and farmers on usage and Jigawa State Government provided quality inputs such as seed and fertiliser. Early harvests have shown aflatoxin levels well below safe limits set for exports, and stimulated interest from the agribusiness and trade sectors. More
Senegal and The Gambia
We continue steady progress following our TTLA with BAMTAARE in September 2017. The company is procuring equipment for a factory in Kaolack, Senegal, and expects production of Aflasafe SN01 to be fully underway this year. BAMTAARE is also crafting a marketing plan, which ATTC will partially support. We are reaching out to buyers to demonstrate the convincingly high quality of treated grain. Some agribusiness entrepreneurs are already convinced by the power of Aflasafe, and we even have TV coverage to prove it! More
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Don’t see an update on your country of interest? Aflasafe is currently available in six countries across Africa, and undergoing development, testing or registration in ten more. For all the latest details, visit Aflasafe where I am.
New from us, and news from the world
 Aflasafe in the news
As Aflasafe commercialisation takes off, public awareness and coverage in the media are growing too. Interested in what the world is saying about us? We’ve created a new virtual album for our most recent press cuttings, as well as articles of interest on aflatoxin. More
New on our website: a multimedia cornucopia
We are working hard to produce new multimedia materials in a range of languages, as well as fresh content for our website, which is continually growing. Here we gather our latest online offerings. More
Aflasafe R&D
Even as we press forward on commercialising Aflasafe for large-scale use, we continue to be amazed by the Aflasafe research and development team. Not only have they created this remarkable and powerful product, but their support and enthusiasm is essential to successful commercialisation – and the outside world is showering them with recognition too. More
What next for Aflasafe commercialisation?
What do we have in store for Quarter 2? All eyes on Tanzania! This is our planned next stop in our momentous journey advancing the frontiers of Aflasafe commercialisation across Africa. Thanks to outstanding R&D work, the ground there is ripe and ready for commercialisation. Moving over to West Africa, we will be selecting Aflasafe manufacturers and/or distributors for Burkina Faso and Ghana.
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