Sixteen English-speaking African countries attended a 4-day joint WTO – Codex – IPPC – OIE training course in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, from 24 – 27 September 2012.
The WTO training course was the second of its type for relevant SPS national animal health, plant health, food safety and trade officials from Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria, Seychelles, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The Ethiopian State Minister for Agriculture Development of the Ministry of Agriculture, H.E. Mr Wondirad Mandefro. Picture © P. Bastiaensen (oie) 2012
Officiated by the Ethiopian State Minister for Agriculture Development, H.E. Mr Wondirad Mandefro, the training contents were labeled “follow-up” as they built on the first training course organized in Nairobi, Kenya, last year. Other participants included staff from African Union institutions, such as IBAR and IAPSC, and representatives of Regional Economic Communities (ECOWAS, IGAD, COMESA, SADC).
Twelve participants participated in the one-day break-out session, coordinated by the OIE; practical exercises focused on simulations on imports/exports of beef between two hypothetical countries, whilst critically scrutinizing earlier notifications and specific trade concerns on animal health and zoonoses, submitted to the SPS Committee in the past and taking a closer look at SPS trade-facilitating mechanisms in the context of animals and animal products.
All pictures © P. Bastiaensen (oie) 2012
