Press Release Nº003/2014
AUC and Meridian Institute sign MoU on renewal of Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa

Addis Ababa, 14 January 2014 – The African Union Commission and Meridian Institute, USA, have renewed the Memorandum of Understanding that was originally signed by both parties in September 2012 on the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA). The signing ceremony held on 14 January 2014, at the AU Commission did not only mark the renewal of the MoU but also the signing of a grant agreement to the tune of US$ 1.2 million between the two parties to support PACA secretariat operational and programmatic activities of 2014.

The MoU and grant agreement were signed by the Commissioner for t Rural Economy and Agriculture, Mrs. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, on behalf of the AUC and senior partner of the Meridian Institute, Mrs. Barbara Stinson.

Mrs. Tumusiime appreciated and recognized the active and proactive partnership that the Commission has enjoyed with Meridian for the past sixteen months. She indicated that: “the new phase of the partnership should serve as a launching pad for a more fruitful collaboration that would build on the successes and lessons learned from implementation of the previous MoU.”

The Commissioner emphasized the importance of having this programme, in light of the problems aflatoxins are causing on the continent such as undermining regional integration and coordination. PACA will be contributing to the overall strategy of transforming the African agriculture, achieving food sovereignty and nutrition security.

Although PACA’s progress to date is very impressive, Mrs. Tumusiime highlighted, it is important to stay cognizant of the fact that work has only began and further action and persistence is required in order to effectively address the challenges of aflatoxins in Africa (the Commissioner’s speech is available on www.au.int ).

Aflatoxins are naturally occurring highly toxic compounds produced by fungi. Long-term exposure to these toxins is believed to cause liver cancer and is also associated with immune suppression, growth retardation, liver disease, and death in both humans and domestic animals.

During the signing ceremony, Mrs. Stinson expressed the significance of this renewal as well as the signing of the grant agreement. She expressed her sincere gratitude and appreciation to the AUC for providing much needed leadership for PACA.

The African Union Commission reiterated its commitment to tackle the aflatoxin problem through the PACA initiative and registered its commitment to work closely with all PACA partners in order to implement its 10 year strategy and achieve its vision of “an Africa free from the harmful effects of aflatoxins”.

Media contact:
Mr. Molalet Tsedeke, Directorate of Information and Communication, AUC; molalett@africa-union.org; +251-911-630-631

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dinfo@african-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Follow us
Face book: https://www.facebook.com/AfricanUnionCommission
Twitter: https://twitter.com/_AfricanUnion
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AUCommission

Learn more at:
http://www.au.int