Joining Hands to enable Food Safety in Africa

Welcome

Joining Hands to enable Food Safety in Africa

Dear colleagues, dear friends,

On behalf of the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA) in collaboration with the Joint Food and Agricultural Organization International Agency for Nuclear energy FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, the IAEA Technical Cooperation Department, and the Africa Food Safety Network, we are delighted to invite all stakeholders from food control authorities, governmental and commercial laboratories, industry, academia and representatives of national and international agencies, to attend the 2nd Africa Food Safety Workshop (AFSW 2022).

This workshop will bring together experts within the regulatory food safety space, specifically food testing laboratories and quality infrastructure institutions, food manufacturers, researchers in academia, governmental and non-governmental food control programmes.

Your participation will provide your organisation with an opportunity to engage with influential scientists and regulators from across the globe and key role players from Africa and the international community. Presentations and discussions will encompass: advances in analytical testing, measurement, SPS and conformity standards, One Health, capacity building, sustainable skilling and recognition of capabilities through proficiency testing and accreditation; risk analysis; food monitoring and surveillance programmes; food safety education, the private sector and stakeholder awareness.

I, therefore, believe that this workshop will be another successful convocation of leading authorities in their various Food Safety disciplines and that by joining hands, and reconnecting we will continue the important task of enabling food safety in Africa.

NMISA, as your host, together with the Joint Food and Agricultural Organization International Agency for Nuclear energy FAO/IAEA Centre for Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, will do our very best to make sure that your time spent at this workshop is pleasant and fruitful, both socially and scientifically. We are looking forward to meeting you again in person in June 2022, at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa.

With Best Regards,

Ndwakhulu Mukhufhi

CEO: National Metrology Institute of South Africa

Why This Event

In 2022, the National Metrology Institute of South Africa, will be hosting the second Africa Food Safety Workshop in collaboration with the FAO-IAEA Joint Technical Centre, the IAEA Technical Cooperation Department  and the Africa Food Safety Network, to promote standards, reliable methods of analysis and inter-institutional cooperation for better public health and trade

Representatives from national, regional and international institutions in the chemistry and microbiological field and prominent industry experts, academia, and regulators will be attending the workshop. Participation in the Africa Food Safety Workshop will allow your organisation to engage with influential scientists across the globe and key role players from Africa and the international community

 

We are anticipating over 250 participants from:

  • Food testing laboratories (analysts and managers)
  • Quality infrastructure institutions including Accreditation, Standards, Scientific and Legal Metrology institutes
  • Regulators
  • Research/academia
  • Industry (food manufacturers/distributors)
  • International and non-governmental organizations
  • Professional associations
  • Interested general public and civil society

The Workshop will also provide a dedicated exhibition for Food Safety instrumentation, equipment suppliers and other industry-related service providers

About the Event

The workshop will take place in the form of lectures, posters and interactive panel discussions covering the following topics:

  • Advances in screening and confirmatory analysis applied to food safety testing for: pesticides, mycotoxins, veterinary drug residues, heavy metals, marine biotoxins, phycotoxins, persistent organic pollutants, microplastics and radionuclides
  • Foodborne microbial hazards: zoonoses, One Health and antimicrobial resistance
  • Food fraud
  • Scientific capacity building and recognition of capabilities: Measurement standards; proficiency testing and accreditation; sustainable skilling
  • Risk Analysis: Assessment: management and communication
  • Sanitary and Phytosanitary requirements within the AfCFTA
  • Food monitoring and surveillance programmes; Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) /Maximum levels (MLs)
  • Food Borne illnesses/outbreaks: Notification, responses and epidemiology
  • Food safety education, the private sector and stakeholder awareness
    Register Here

    Welcome

    Fees

    Programme

    27 June -1 July 2022, Emperor’s Palace Convention Centre, Johannesburg

     Welcome to the Food Safety Event of the Year!

    The purpose of the event is to enhance networking among food safety stakeholders in Africa; to facilitate the sharing of analytical knowledge and transfer of developed technologies related to a range of food hazards, and to encourage continent-wide discussions on how to best improve national/regional food safety control systems to safeguard consumers and facilitate trade. This event will also explore through diverse discussion panels, how to best align laboratories to address challenges of setting food safety standards for both trade and public health; fitting food safety control systems into the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AFCFTA) arrangements and reducing trade rejections.

    Click here to Register

    Speakers

    Venue

    Social Excursions

    Registration Fees

    Payment Method via PayFast

    • Online card payment
    • EFT (Electronic funds transfer)
    • Direct EFT Deposits

    Workshop Registration Includes

    • Access to all Workshop sessions, poster and exhibition area
    • Networking cocktail event (Monday 27 June)
    • Gala dinner (Wednesday 29 June)
    • Workshop pack including name badge, pocket program and other collateral
    • Coffee breaks and lunch on the registered days

    *All prices are in ZAR only

     

     

    Click here to Register
    Delegate

    Full Workshop :  R8 000

    Monday – Tuesday :  R3 600

    Wednesday – Friday :  R4 500

    Student

    Full Workshop :  R5 000

    Speaker

    Full Workshop : R6 000

    Monday – Tuesday :  R3 600

    Wednesday – Friday : R4 500

    IAEA

    IAEA registration R5000 (Excl VAT)

    Speakers and Abstracts

    Abstracts for posters and oral presentations are welcomed for the workshop topics listed above.

    Abstract submission deadline is 31 May 2022.

    Only registered participants with accepted oral/ poster presentations will appear in the programme.

    A selection of papers presented at the workshop will be considered for publication in a peer-reviewed Journal (Special Issue for Food Safety in Africa).

    The papers will be selected by the AFSW 2022 Workshop Committee in agreement with the Journal Editorial Board. In all cases, it is mandatory that the papers will be expanded versions of what was presented at the Workshop. The selection process will be done at the end of the Workshop and authors will be contacted and asked about their willingness to expand and submit the presented research results. Then, all the articles will have to be submitted for publication in the Journal and will be subjected to the usual review process of the Journal itself.

    Please email completed abstract to abstracts@nmisa.org

    By submitting your abstract, you agree to the following:
    That the Workshop committee has the right to submit your abstract for peer review.
    No correspondence will be entered into in the case of non-acceptance.
    The abstract may be published in electronic format on the Workshop website.

    The Africa Food Safety Workshop Abstract Review committee:

    1. Dr Courage Saba – Ghana 
    2. Dr Daniel O. Apeh – Nigeria 
    3. Dr Gerald Monga – Zambia
    4. Ms Bertha Jackson – Zimbabwe
    5. Dr Justine Jolly  – Uganda
    6. Ms Doreen Kenangwa – Kenya
    7. Dr Mounira Azouz – Algeria
    8. Prof Chibundu N. Ezekiel – Nigeria
    9. Dr Angelique Botha – South Africa
    10. Dr Caitlin Swiegelaar – South Africa
    11. Dr Dennis Mkhize – South Africa
    12. Dr Nontete Nhlapo – South Africa
    13. Dr Laura Quinn – South Africa
    14. Ms Des Prevoo-Franzsen – South Africa
    15. Ms Mare Linsky – South Africa

     

    Download Abstract Templates here

    Opening Session

    Keynote Speaker

    View Bio

    Dr. Godfrey Bahiigwa

    African Union Commission – Director of the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (DARBE), AU, Ethiopia

    Speakers

    View Bio

    Dr. Chris Muyunda

    Chairman: Governing Council of the Comprehensive Africa Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) Non-State Actors Coalition (CNC), Zambia

    View Bio

    Mr Mufumbiro Hakim Baligeya

    Chairperson: CODEX Coordinating Committee for Africa. Principal Standards Officer, Uganda National Bureau of Standards, Uganda

    View Bio

    Dr. Francis Ejobi

    Soroti University, Uganda

    View Bio

    Prof. Jacob de Boer

    Vrije University Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    View Bio

    Dr. Zoltan Mester

    National Research Council, Canada

    View Bio

    Dr. James Sasanya

    International Atomic Energy Agency (Jnt. FAO/IAEA Div. of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture), Austria

    View Bio

    Prof. Lucia Anelich

    Anelich Consulting, South Africa

    View Bio

    Dr. Wim Reybroeck

    Technology and food science unit, Belgium

    View Bio

    Dr. Holly Erdely

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration Centre for Veterinary Medicine (US FDA CVM), USA

    View Bio

    Dr. Maria Fernandes-Whaley

    National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA), South Africa

    View Bio

    Ms Margaret Lwenje Lungu

    Pan African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI) Secretariat, Advisor Quality Infrastructure/TBT, Kenya

    View Bio

    Prof Hussaini Anthony Makun

    Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety, Nigeria

    View Bio

    Prof. Pieter Gouws

    Director, Centre for Food Safety, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

    View Bio

    Fazila K. Shakir

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Director, Regulatory Cooperation and Partnerships Staff, U.S.A.

    View Bio

    Luis Suguiyama

    Consultant –Retired U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Current position: Consultant with USDA on pesticide and biopesticides, U.S.A

    View Bio

    Lorenza Rozier

    Organization: U.S. Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), Current position: FSIS Microbiologist, U.S.A.

    View Bio

    Papa Sam GUEYE

    CERES-Locustox Foundation, Current position: General administrator, Senegal

    View Bio

    Prof Limbikani Matumba

    Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Malawi, Current position: Consultant with USDA on pesticide and biopesticides, Malawi

    View Bio

    Benoit Gnonlonfin

    West African Pesticide Registration Committee (WAPRC) Official, West Africa

  • DARBE works with AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and other partners to boost rural economic development and agricultural sector development by supporting the adoption of strategies, policies and programmes on agriculture, environment and natural resources.

    Before joining the African Union, Dr. Bahiigwa was the Head of IFPRI’s Eastern and Southern Africa Office (ESAO) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He was the founding coordinator of Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System (ReSAKSS) node for Eastern and Central Africa based at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi and later as the ReSAKSS Africawide Coordinator at International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Prior to joining IFPRI he was the Director of Uganda’s Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA) Secretariat. He also worked with Uganda’s Economic Policy Research Center for eight years as a Senior Research Fellow, focusing on agricultural policy research and linking it to government policy and strategy formulation.

    Dr. Bahiigwa holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia (USA); a Master’s degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from the University of Minnesota (USA); and a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture from Makerere University, Uganda.

  • Dr Chris Muyunda is a Principal Business Mentor within the Africa Incubation Network, AAIN, supporting several agribusiness incubation centres across Africa. He has previously served as Chairman of the CAADP Non State Actors Coalition, CNC, Regional Manager of Challenges Worldwide, CEO of the Alliance for Commodity Trade in Eastern and Southern Africa, ACTESA,  Senior Agricultural Advisor for COMESA and Deputy Team Leader EG for USAID/Zambia. He is an accomplished agribusiness specialist currently serving on the boards of Musika Development Iniatives and Business Enterprise Programme in Zambia.  After graduating with a BSc degree from the University of Zambia in 1986, Chris attended graduate School in Western Australia and Delaware, USA earning a PhD in business competitiveness.

  • Mr. Hakim Baligeya Mufumbiro is the Head of Food and Agriculture Standards at the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) where he is responsible for the coordination of the development, harmonization and promotion of standards in the area of Food and Agriculture at the national, regional and international level.

    He holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Food Science and Technology from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Prior to joining UNBS in 2009, he worked in the food industry in Uganda for 4 years especially in the soft drinks and beverages, fruit juices, fats and oils and confectionery sectors. He has also trained extensively and implemented quality and food safety management systems. He has over 15 years’ experience in key areas in the Quality Infrastructure especially industrial development, trade competitiveness in global markets and food safety.

    His key competencies include policy formulation, legislation and standardization; food and nutrition safety and quality management; food control systems development, product regulation and market access; organizational leadership and project planning and management.

    He currently serves as Chairperson of several national and regional Committees including the EAC Standards Management Committee, ARSO Standards Management Committee as well as Coordinator for the EAC Codex Forum and the Codex Coordinating Committee for Africa (CCAFRICA).

  • Dr Francis Ejobi is a Veterinarian and Professor of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology. He is currently serving as the Manager of the Directorate of Research and Innovations, Soroti University, Uganda.  He served for 10 years (2006 to 2016) as Head of Department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Veterinary Public Health, Makerere University.

    His current research interests and passions include One Health approach, antimicrobial resistance and epidemiology of zoonoses (especially, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Brucellosis and Cystic Echinococcosis). With funding from USAID under Emerging Pandemic Threat Threats 1 (EPT 1) project, he developed and operationalized a   One Health Residency program at Makerere University.  He has won many competitive research grants and consultancies from international and national (Ugandan) organisations, including, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, International Atomic Energy Agency, World Health Organisation, European Union, Caritas Kotido and Caritas Moroto Catholic Dioceses. He has published over 64 papers in international peer-reviewed journals and has presented numerous papers in national and international conferences. He is a Fellow of the Uganda National Academy of Sciences, and a certified Environmental Impact Assessor.

  • Prof Jacob de Boer is Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology at the Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Prof. de Boer has worked for many years on the environmental contamination and analysis of polychlorinated biphenyls, flame retardants, perfluorinated compounds, pesticides and other contaminants.

    He is an advisor for UN Environment, a member of the QUASIMEME Scientific Assessment Group, and member of the Scientific Advisory Panel of the CEFIC Long Range Initiative.

    Currently, he runs three EU projects CHLOFFIN, EUROqCHARM and REVAMP, some of which are focused on certifying reference materials for contaminants. He has organised numerous international interlaboratory studies on contaminants, such as  the recent study on microplastics. He is a regular reviewer of scientific projects and programmes in various countries.

    He has published 240 peer-reviewed articles with an average citation of 53.10 per article, among which one paper in Nature and one in Science, two books and 21 book chapters. His H-index is 57. He is editor-in-chief of Chemosphere (Impact factor 7.1) and a member of the editorial board of the Handbook of Environmental Chemistry.

  • Zoltán Mester, obtained his PhD in Chemistry in Hungary. In 1999 he joined the chemistry program of the National Research Council Canada (NRC) in Ottawa. He has been heading the inorganic chemical measurement science activities at NRC since 2010. His research interest encompasses analytical mass spectrometry, sampling, sample preparation and sample introduction. He is currently serving as the President of the Analytical Chemistry Division of IUPAC. He also represents Canada at the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance which is responsible for the upkeep of the chemists’ SI unit, the mole.

    Dr Mester is involved in training the next generation of analytical chemists / chemical metrologists by hosting and working with many students in his lab at NRC over the years and maintaining close relations with various universities including Queen’s University, Kingston, Canada and Trent University, Peterborough, Canada where he is an adjunct professor.

    He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, 3 book chapters and edited a book on sample preparation.  He has delivered numerous invited, keynote and plenary presentations at various conferences and he lectures regularly at universities and research institutions around the world.

  • Dr James Sasanya oversees capacity building and research activities including but not limited to residues and chemical contaminants, natural toxins and microbiological hazards in food and related matrices. He supports developing countries around the world to establish or improve laboratory capabilities leveraging the advantages of nuclear/isotopic and associated technologies. Dr Sasanya also assists countries in establishing national residue or contaminant monitoring programmes for public health and trade. He is keen on  advancing national, regional and interregional food safety. He also supports the setting and implementation of Codex standards, guidelines and codes of practice. Dr Sasanya has training- and work experience (of ~25 years) in veterinary medicine, analytical chemistry, pharmacology/toxicology, food safety and international relations and is a board-certified toxicologist. He has served in the private and public sector (including local government, extension services and academia) and is now employed in international civil service.

  • Prof Anelich holds a PhD in Microbiology and spent 25 years at the South African Tshwane University of Technology, where she became the first female head of the food science and  technology department and Associate Professor. She is a Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST) and the only South African invited to join the ICMSF (International Commission on the Microbiological Specifications for Foods).  She was the first South African Chair of the Scientific Council of the International Union of Food Science and Technology (IUFoST). In 2006 she joined the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa where she established a food safety body for the South African food industry.  In 2011, she started her own international food safety consulting and training business, where she served as Food Hygiene Expert for the African Union (IBAR). Prof Anelich was instrumental in providing guidance to the food industry on Listeria monocytogenes during the 2018 SA listeriosis outbreak and on SARS-CoV-2 issues related to food safety. She is currently co-editor of 2 books on food safety and is a Member of the African Union Advisory Group developing a Food Safety Strategy for the African continent.

  • Wim Reybroeck is responsible for research concerning the microbiological and immunological detection of antimicrobials in milk, meat, eggs, shrimps and honey; the validation of test kits for the screening of antimicrobial residues and for quality aspects of honey and raw milk.

    He is currently a member of different standing committees of the International Dairy Commission e.g., chairman of group 16 ‘FAQs about veterinary drug residues’; chairman of group A18 ‘Guidelines for the validation of quantitative screening methods for the detection of Aflatoxin M1 in milk and milk products.

    He is also a member of the International Honey Commission since 2002 and an independent honey expert for the European Commission.

    The laboratory at ILVO obtained Belac ISO 17025 accreditation for more than 20 antimicrobial screening tests. ILVO is a national reference laboratory for veterinary drugs and mycotoxins (in collaboration with CER).

    The laboratory is an AOAC-recognized expert laboratory for the validation of test kits for the detection of antibiotic residues. The lab performed many validation studies of different immunological and receptor tests for the screening for antimicrobials in milk, tissue and honey.

  • Holly Erdely has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, USA. For the past 13 years, Dr Erdely has served as a Pharmacologist in the Division of Human Food Safety at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine, evaluating residue chemistry studies and information in support of the human food safety evaluation of compounds for use in food-producing producing animals. Since 2013, she has served as a technical expert for the Joint WHO/FAO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) on residues of veterinary drugs.

  • Dr Maria Fernandes-Whaley is Section Head of the Organic Analysis Laboratory in the Chemistry, Materials and Medical Metrology Division of the National Metrology Institute of South Africa (NMISA). The laboratory is ISO 17025 accredited for food safety and quality measurements.
    Since 2015, Maria has also directed the NMISA Reference Materials Programme for the ISO 17034 accredited production and certification of food safety and quality reference materials (CRMs) and the coordination of ISO 17043 accredited customised food and water proficiency testing (PT) schemes that are relevant to South Africa and the region.
    Maria has served as guest lecturer at the University of Pretoria, since 2009, presenting a short course to Chemistry students on Quality Assurance, accreditation, measurement traceability and the estimation of measurement uncertainty.
    She currently represents South Africa on the BIPM International Consultative Committee for Quantity of Material – Organic Analysis Working Group (CCQM-OAWG), the IMEKO TC 23 for Food and Nutrition, the IAEA RAF 5084 Africa Food Safety Network (AFoSaN) and the AOAC INTERNATIONAL Sub-Saharan Africa section; the SANAS specialist technical committee for food and water testing, and the SABS technical committee for reference materials (ISO TC 334).

  • Margaret Lwenje Lungu is an expert with 27 years of experience in aspects of national, regional, and international Standards development and Quality Assurance activities including operations of Quality Infrastructure Systems at national, regional and international levels. She has served four years as Director Technical Services for the Zambia Bureau of Standards (ZABS) and prior to that 13 years as Standards Development Manager. As Director Technical Services, she was responsible for the strategic management of ZABS technical services including Testing Laboratories, Metrology, Standards Development, Certification and Training functions. Further, Margaret served six years as Regional Coordinator for the Southern African Development Community Cooperation in Standardization (SADCSTAN), under the SADC Technical Barriers to Trade (SADC TBT program). As Regional Coordinator from 2014 to 2020 Margaret was responsible for coordinating regional standards harmonization activities including training. Margaret Lungu is now with the Pan African Quality Infrastructure Institutions (PAQI) Secretariat as an Advisor on Quality Infrastructure /TBT. She holds a Master’s Degree in Food Science from the Leeds University in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Zambia.

  • Professor Makun is a researcher and lecturer in the Federal University of Technology Minna (FUT Minna).  He has over 30 years’ experience as a university academic staff and researcher in areas relating to food safety, environmental health monitoring, mycotoxicology and mycology. He has supervised and graduated over 85 B-Tech, 18 M-Tech students and 9 PhDs, working on mycotoxins and toxic metals. The researcher has won national and international research grants to the cumulative sum of $8,647,787.47. He is a Fellow of Mycotoxicology Society of Nigeria (FMSN), member of the African Mycotoxicology Society, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) National Food Safety Advisory Committee of Nigeria, National Codex Committee of Nigeria, African Union Expert Committee on Contaminants in Food (2011 to date) and Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Contaminants in Food (JECFA) (2012-2020). He has 72 publications, mostly on mycotoxins in peer review journals, technical papers and books. Professor Makun is currently the Centre Leader/Director of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Mycotoxin and Food Safety and Team Coordinator of the West African Food Safety Network (WAFOSAN) as well as a Member of the African Food Safety Network.

  • Prof Pieter Gouws is a professor of Food Microbiology at the Centre for Food Safety, in the Department of Food Science at Stellenbosch University. He had spent some time as an international research fellow at the University of Nottingham and is also the South African representative on the International Commission of Food Microbiology and Hygiene (2008 to present). His current research interests focus on novel and innovative applications for the detection and control of unwanted bacteria in food and processing environments, improvement of food safety and food quality, novel processing technologies and antimicrobial resistance of foodborne bacteria. He is the author of various scientific papers and trains undergraduate and postgraduate students in the field of Food Microbiology and Food Safety. He is also the Director of the Centre for Food Safety at Stellenbosch University.

  • Fazila K. Shakir is the Director for the Regulatory Cooperation & Partnerships Staff in the Office of International Engagement at the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition/Food and Drug Administration (CFSAN/FDA).  Ms. Shakir oversees new and existing international partnerships for all CFSAN interest areas, such as food safety and nutrition, including partnerships with FAO, WHO, USAID, and also manages the Systems Recognition and Codex programs. Previously, Ms. Shakir was a Senior Regulatory Health Advisor in the Office of Food Safety at CFSAN.  In this role, she led the development of policies, regulations, and implementation plans related to the safety of fresh produce under FSMA. She also provided leadership on FDA’s prevention efforts related to Cyclospora. Prior to joining CFSAN, she worked in international health and was involved in the implementation and evaluation of USAID-funded public health programs related to infectious diseases in Latin America and Africa. She holds a Master of Health Science in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a Bachelor of Science from University of Maryland, College Park.

  • Luis Suguiyama Retired as Senior Pesticide Regulatory Manager in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with a demonstrated record of accomplishment and leadership in complex technical and regulatory programs.  Presently working as an international consultant in capacity building projects on pesticide regulatory issues, integrated pest management, good agricultural practices, chemical pesticide laboratory analytical capabilities, food safety, and technical barriers to agricultural trade.

  • Mr. Lorenza Rozier is a microbiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) and graduate of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia USA. He currently serves as a staff officer with the USDA Laboratory Quality Assurance and Response Coordination Staff (LQARCS) auditing  ISO 17025 accredited USDA laboratories which analyze meat, poultry, egg, and catfish for various contaminants. He has worked with laboratories for 25 years in the areas of media production, food testing, and method validations while serving as technical expert for USDA FSIS microbiology methods including STEC, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter methods.

  • Mr. Papa Sam GUEYE, Agronomic Engineer, Doctorate in Horticulture and urban and suburban Agriculture, General Administrator of the CERES-Locustox Foundation, President of the National Commission of Chemicals Management and Coordinator of the National and Sub-regional Network of Food Safety Laboratories in Senegal

  • Limbikani Matumba is an Associate Professor and Dean of Faculty of Life Sciences and Natural Resources at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). He received a Doctorate degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2014) from Ghent University, Belgium. His research mainly focuses on food safety and he has published extensively on this subject in journals listed in the Web of Science (ISI). He currently serves on editorial board for the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture (Wiley) and Mycotoxin Research (Springer).

  • Gbemenou Joselin Benoit Gnonlonfin has a career spanning over 20 years in food safety and quality and is currently ECOWAS-USAID-FAO Senior Agricultural, Sanitary and Phytosanitary standards advisor and international consultant. Previously, Dr Gnonlonfin worked as an agricultural research scientist at Benin’s National Agricultural Research Institute for 10 years. He has served as consultant/expert in the African Union Inter-Bureau on Animal Resources (AU-IBAR); African Union Food Safety and CODEX projects; the development of the SPS framework in relation to Appendix 7 of the AfCFTA agreement, and SPS regulation harmonization including pesticides registration in West Africa and the Sahel Region. Dr Gnonlonfin has contributed to the development of a continental action plan and communication strategy on AMR led by African Union in collaboration with FAO, as has contributed to the CODEX work on AMR.  He is a member of the Joint FAO/WHO Experts on Food Additives and Contaminants (JECFA) as well as former Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) Expert for developing country of the WTO. Dr Gnonlonfin has a PhD in food safety from the University of Copenhagen and completed a postdoctoral period at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in the field of food and feed safety and capacity building. He has a strong record of peer-reviewed publication, projects and scientific reports as well as policy briefs.

  • The International Cooperation group of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany’s national metrology institute, advises governments and ministries, promotes quality infrastructure institutions and supports small and medium-sized enterprises. Together with our partners worldwide, we support the development and expansion of quality infrastructure to ensure consumer protection and promote trade.

    AFRIMETS is supported by PTB through the “Upgrading of Quality Infrastructure in Africa” project and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The project’s objective is to support the Pan-African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI) platform and its respective institutions in their efforts to promote economic integration in Africa through the effective and efficient implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement.

    We cooperate with our partners at all levels (international, continental, regional and national) of quality infrastructure to develop a system which supports and enhances the quality, safety and environmental soundness of goods, services and processes. Moreover, in Africa, we support quality infrastructure to ensure that our partners will be able to fully reap the benefits of the AfCFTA in the future. Our implementing partners are the African Union Commission (AUC) and the Pan-African Quality Infrastructure (PAQI) organisations (AFRAC, AFRIMETS, AFSEC and ARSO). We cooperate with different organisations and countries to strengthen all pillars of quality infrastructure (accreditation, metrology, standardization, conformity assessment and technical regulation) and to provide integrated solutions for quality.

  • Promolab (Pty) Ltd was founded by Paul Queisser and started trading as SEPARATIONS on 1 September 1989 to serve South African scientists with a highly focused, innovative and synergistic line of chromatography supplies. Since then, this concept of customer-centric products and exceptional support has continued until today and has been the driving force behind the development of the Sales Divisions that outline the specific workflows we focus on. Separations continues to drive innovation and value by always attracting the most cutting-edge and innovative suppliers into its portfolio, in order to deliver spectacular and complete workflow solutions to our discerning customers.  The Mission of Separations as a company is to create raving fan customers who delight in the fact that they can rely on receiving the finest products science has to offer; with support and commercial services that area unparalleled in the market for speed, efficiency, knowledge and kindness.

    The SEPARATIONS vision lies in making South African and sub-Saharan African scientists, researchers, manufacturers and laboratory technicians more successful by:

    • Supplying Spectacular Products • Providing Spectacular Technical Support • Delivering Spectacular Commercial Services

    We believe in great and mutually beneficial relationships between customers, employee, suppliers and shareholders. This requires the highest standards of ethics, which for us are:

    • Honesty • Responsiveness • Reliability • Empathy

    Sciex food testing solutions will help you meet maximum residue limits (MRLs) with high-quality data you know is right every time. Whether you are a commercial lab or a manufacturer, the quality of the food testing data you acquire is vital.

    Leaders in the Food Safety Industry, for all your food Safety requirements, come meet with the Separations Sciex experts at Stand 3 at the African Foods Safety Workshop, 27-29th June 2022

  • Microsep, is a supplier of high technology laboratory and analytical instrumentation in Southern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. We partner with Waters Corporation to provide food testing systems that integrate Chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Data Management Software, Column and Sample Prep Chemistries. Included is Vicam’s quantitative detection of mycotoxins through the choice of fluorometric or HPLC measurements, ERA Proficiency Testing and Certified Reference Materials.

    Our extensive product portfolio enables food and environmental laboratories to detect various chemical compounds, satisfy food safety requirements and help safeguard consumer health. We have a qualified team of specialists to provide you with sales, service and support.

    Tel: +27 87 092 7300 | info@microsep.co.za | www.microsep.co.za

     

  • Rapid microbial detection, monitoring and identification solutions

    Microsep is a supplier of high technology laboratory and analytical instrumentation in Southern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. We partner with Hygiena International to supply food safety testing systems for the environmental, agricultural, food and beverage industries.  Utilizing advanced technologies and patented designs, Hygiena provides industry-leading ATP monitoring systems, PCR-based foodborne pathogen detection, DNA fingerprint molecular characterization systems, allergen tests and environmental collection devices.  We have a qualified team of specialists to provide you with sales and support on all our products.

     

    Tel: +27 87 092 7300 | info@microsep.co.za | www.microsep.co.za