Rwanda concludes assessments of the country’s national food control and phytosanitary systems
KIGALI, RWANDA —Last week, the government of Rwanda concluded two critical assessments of the country’s food control and phytosanitary systems with final consensus workshops in Kigali where high-level policy makers endorsed the recommendations of the final reports of the assessments and committed to implementing their strategic plans.
The assessments, conducted with the support of FAO’s Food Systems and Food Safety division (ESF) and the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Secretariat, were part of the 5-million-dollar "Strengthening of Capacities and Governance in Food and Phytosanitary Control” project.
The European Union (EU)-funded initiative aims to improve food safety and phytosanitary systems in 11 African Union (AU) member countries using two state-of-the-art tools: the FAO/WHO Food Control System Assessment and the Phytosanitary Capacity Evaluation (PCE).
These tools were designed to enable countries to evaluate their food control systems and phytosanitary capacities, facilitating the development of strategic plans to strengthen them.
Ultimately, the assessments are intended to assist Rwanda in adhering to international harmonized standards and guidelines, improving dialogue, and enhancing safe trade and food security in the region.
In an interview on Friday, Alexis Kabayiza national coordinator of the food control assessment from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, discussed the implementation of the food safety and the phytosanitary assessment and said that the two “complement each other,” and help the country know where it stands in terms of international standards. “This,” he said “allows it to position itself towards trade that is safe at the international level.”
Over the next several months, a total of 17 assessments between the two components will be completed in the 11 participating AU member countries. Along the way, the project is enhancing technical capacity and expanding the skills and knowledge of the national workforce involved in food control and phytosanitary systems, fostering a common vision among competent authorities and stakeholders regarding the status of national food control and plant health systems, and facilitating overall continuous improvement.
As part of the EU’s broader initiatives to strengthen sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) capacities and governance in support of the newly established Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the costed plans resulting from the project are meant to improve public health and increase trade opportunities in the region.
This was echoed by James Mushayija, PCE National Coordinator and Plant Health Specialist from Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA), who spoke of the importance of the phytosanitary capacity evaluations in identifying gaps that will “help to implement and support trade facilitation.''
Asked about the benefits of running the two assessments at the same time, he said “they both complement each other because the end result is the safe trade as well as food security in the country.”
For media inquiries and further information about the workshops, please contact: [email protected]