Food safety in Africa is emerging as one of the continent’s most urgent and strategic development priorities. As food systems expand and diversify across urban and rural landscapes, the need for robust, science-based approaches to managing risk has never been more critical. Ensuring safe, nutritious, and traceable food is not only a public health necessity — it is a cornerstone of economic growth, trade competitiveness, and regional stability.
According to the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa, the continent bears the highest per capita burden of foodborne diseases globally. An estimated 91 million people fall ill annually from consuming contaminated food, with 137,000 deaths — disproportionately affecting children under five, pregnant women, and vulnerable populations. These figures underscore the scale of the challenge and the need for coordinated, multisectoral responses.
In 2025, the FAO and WHO reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening African food safety systems through the Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA25), which emphasized regional priorities such as antimicrobial resistance, aflatoxins, and food fraud. The African Union also advanced its continental food safety strategy, aligning with the WHO’s global targets for reducing foodborne diarrheal disease incidence by 40% by 2030.
Persistent Challenges
Despite growing awareness and policy momentum, food safety systems in Africa remain constrained by a complex web of structural and operational challenges. Fragmented regulatory frameworks across countries and regions limit harmonization and enforcement. Many national systems operate in silos, with overlapping mandates and limited coordination between ministries of health, agriculture, trade, and environment.
Inspection capacity is another critical bottleneck. According to the QAssurance 2025 update, there is a widespread shortage of trained personnel, limited access to laboratory infrastructure, and insufficient cold chain facilities — all of which undermine the ability to detect and respond to foodborne hazards. These gaps are especially pronounced at the subnational level.
The dominance of informal food markets adds complexity. Across the continent, an estimated 70% of urban households rely on informal vendors for daily food supply. These markets operate largely outside formal oversight, posing significant risks due to the lack of refrigeration, sanitation infrastructure, and standardized handling practices. As noted by the FS4Africa initiative, informal vendors often lack access to training and information, yet remain central to food distribution.
Compounding these challenges is low public risk literacy. Consumers are often unaware of the risks associated with unsafe food, weakening market incentives for producers and vendors to invest in safety upgrades. These systemic gaps not only compromise public health but also jeopardize Africa’s ability to meet international standards and access global markets.
Signs of Progress
Encouragingly, governments are increasingly adopting risk assessment frameworks aligned with FAO/WHO standards to modernize national food control systems. Countries such as Uganda, Ghana, and Senegal are integrating Codex principles into inspection protocols, prioritizing high-risk food categories and investing in data generation for evidence-based decision-making. During the 2025 World Food Safety Day regional webinar, experts emphasized that “science is the lifeblood of standards setting.”
The private sector is also stepping up. SMEs across Africa are implementing HACCP, GMP, and GHP protocols to meet domestic and export requirements. Innovation hubs like FS4Africa are incubating scalable solutions to tackle mycotoxin contamination, pesticide residues, and microbial risks — especially in informal markets.
Digitalization is another key driver. Mobile-based traceability platforms, cloud-enabled inspection tools, and real-time reporting systems are being piloted in several countries. These technologies improve transparency and empower inspectors and producers with actionable data. As Dr. Mphumuzi Sukati of FAO RAF noted, “the use of science is critical in facilitating food trade and ensuring regional integration.”
The Role of Collaboration
Food safety in Africa cannot be addressed in isolation. Its effectiveness depends on sustained collaboration between public institutions, private sector actors, development partners, and academic bodies. Fragmented efforts and siloed mandates have long limited the continent’s ability to build resilient systems.
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are increasingly recognized as powerful mechanisms for scaling solutions. At the Africa Food Systems Forum 2025, leaders emphasized the need to mobilize $100 billion in investments to transform agrifood systems. This includes strengthening infrastructure, harmonizing standards, and empowering youth and women.
One example is the AU-IBAR and CAB International MoU, which enhances sanitary and phytosanitary systems and promotes digital innovation and capacity building. Nigeria’s Ministry of Agriculture has also launched climate-smart PPPs to improve food safety and resilience, as highlighted in the CSAPR workshop.
Grassroots collaboration is equally vital. Initiatives like FS4Africa are forging partnerships with local governments, tech innovators, and research institutions to improve safety in informal markets. These alliances are transforming high-risk environments into safer, more transparent systems.
Strategic Priorities
To build resilient and credible African food safety systems, strategic action must be anchored in science, inclusivity, and long-term investment. The African Union’s Food Safety Strategy for Africa 2022–2036 outlines a harmonized framework to mitigate threats, strengthen institutions, and promote regional coordination.
Key priorities include:
- Policy harmonization across regional economic communities to facilitate trade and reduce fragmentation
- Infrastructure and human capital investment, especially in laboratories, cold chains, and subnational inspection systems
- Inclusive education and risk communication, with bilingual training and public awareness campaigns
- Digital transformation, leveraging mobile apps and cloud-based tools for real-time monitoring
- Public-private partnerships, aligning commercial incentives with public health goals
These priorities are not abstract ideals — they are actionable pathways toward a safer, more resilient food system.
Conclusion
Food safety in Africa is not a luxury. It is a right, a responsibility, and a prerequisite for sustainable development. With 91 million cases of foodborne illness and 137,000 deaths annually, the continent bears a disproportionate share of the global burden. Yet, as the African Union’s Food Security Plan 2025 makes clear, food safety is inseparable from food security.
Encouragingly, the launch of the Africa Food Safety Agency (AfFSA) marks a bold step toward harmonized regulation, regional data sharing, and rapid response. Policymakers, producers, and consumers each have a role to play in building systems that are technically sound, socially inclusive, and economically viable.
As food safety expert Catherine Odhiambo aptly stated, “We must build food systems that people can trust — from the farm to the fork.” Let us move forward with science, equity, and collaboration at the core — because the safety of our food is inseparable from the safety of our future.