The African Union Commission (AUC) has wrapped up a two-day workshop in Addis Ababa titled “Mitigating the Health and Nutrition Impacts of Aflatoxins in Africa through Uncommon Partnerships.” The workshop, held March 23-24, brought together stakeholders from the health and nutrition sectors, including representatives from member states, Partnership for Aflatoxin control in Africa (PACA), AMERF Health Africa, African union Commission (AUC) and, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) also recognizing the need for engagement with other sectors affected by aflatoxin.
The goal of the workshop was to foster and reinforce multi-sectorial engagements for aflatoxin control, particularly addressing health and nutritional hazards in Africa.
Aflatoxins pose a threat to food security health and natural trade, Dr. Janet Edeme, the director of Rural Economy and Agriculture for the AUC, said during opening statements. Women and children are most vulnerable and tend to be the most affected, she said.
Africa loses trade due to aflatoxins, which undermines food security both in terms of the amount of food rendered unfit and in contaminated food consumed by millions of Africans, said Dr. Amare Ayalew, program manager of Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA-AUC).
Speaking at the workshop, J. David Miller, professor and NSERC Research chair of Carleton University, gave a presentation on a World Health Organization report on mycotoxin control in low- and middle-income countries. Stressing aflatoxin’s impact on child health, he discussed the recent International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) report – which he edited – that connects aflatoxin contamination with stunting.
In this Youtube video, Miller talks about the findings in a report titled “Mycotoxin Control in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.”