Oluwatobi Adu 
ABUJA, Nigeria – African food regulators have called for stronger cross-border cooperation to tackle food safety threats driven by food fraud, climate change, technological innovation and expanding intra-African trade.
The call was made at the Third African Food Regulatory Authorities Forum held in Cairo, Egypt, from September 30 to October 2, 2026. The forum serves as a platform for collaboration and information exchange among African food regulators.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Resident Media Consultant, Sayo Akintola, following Nigeria’s participation in the forum.
NAFDAC Director-General, Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said the continent’s increasingly interconnected food systems meant that food safety threats could no longer be effectively addressed within individual national borders. “Regulators must move beyond working alongside one another to working with one another,” she said.
Adeyeye said NAFDAC was ready to collaborate with African regulatory authorities, the African Union Commission and development partners on practical measures to strengthen food regulatory systems across the continent.
She urged countries to invest in laboratories, digital technologies, human resources and surveillance systems while strengthening science-based, risk-based and transparent regulation.
The NAFDAC chief also advocated greater regulatory convergence, timely sharing of information and improved analytical capacity among African countries.
At the forum, NAFDAC presented Nigeria’s approach to food regulation, including its shift towards risk-based regulation and preventive food safety practices.
The agency also highlighted efforts to strengthen product traceability and recall systems, expand digital regulatory platforms and improve preparedness for emerging threats.
These threats include climate variability, food fraud and antimicrobial resistance.
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