The second Partnership Platform Meeting for the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa was held 11-13 October in Entebbe, Uganda. The event followed the theme: “Tracking commitments, sustaining implementation for results and impact.” 
Ugandan President H.E. Yoweri Museveni offered the opening remarks, calling for a more concerted and proactive effort to educate the public about aflatoxin and how it can impact their health. Aflatoxin is created by the mold Aspergillus flavus, which can grow on grain and other crops – most notably maize and peanuts/groundnuts. In high doses or with prolonged exposure it can cause stunting in children, liver damage and cancer.
Approximately 270 stakeholders from across Africa and beyond attended the PACA gathering, including heads of state, ministers and other senior government officials from African Union countries, farmer organizations, consumer associations, large and small business sector representatives, civil society, academia and development partners.
AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, reiterated the AUC’s commitment to supporting member states through PACA and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) in addressing aflatoxins.
“We encourage countries that have progressed in addressing the problem using good practices to share lessons learnt and avail their knowledge to those who continue to be afflicted with acute outbreaks and chronic exposure of these toxins,” Tumusiime said.
“Let us ensure that the message of controlling aflatoxins reaches our farmers, our mothers and the markets in order to protect lives which are ignorantly being exposed to aflatoxins.”