Food safety: Abidjan welcomes the IAEA

The Ivorian economic capital recently hosted the 4th edition of the African Workshop of the International Atomic Energy Agency dedicated to food safety. Organized by the National Laboratory for Testing, Metrology and Analysis (LANEMA), under the supervision of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Crafts, the meeting brings together more than a hundred experts and decision-makers from 31 countries, including 29 African. At the opening of the proceedings, the Director of Cabinet Assoua Raymond Laurent, representing the Minister, insisted on the multiple dimensions of this issue. According to him, food safety goes far beyond the health framework to become a key factor of economic competitiveness and a tool for consumer protection. He also sees it as a vector for industrial development and the fluidification of trade on the continent. The Minister's representative also confirmed the continuation of government efforts to modernize national laboratories, with a view to supporting the country's industrial transformation. This workshop is part of a continental dynamic aimed at harmonizing African food standards and facilitating access for local production to international markets, in a context of reinforced health vigilance.