Aflatoxin in food was among the prominent issues discussed at the recent First All-Africa Postharvest Congress and Exhibition held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 28th to 31st March 2017.

The Congress attracted about 600 participants from 22 countries including outside Africa. Its theme was Reducing food waste and losses: sustainable solutions for Africa. Two African staples – groundnuts and maize – are particularly aflatoxin-prone.

For this reason, two interconnected and well-attended Congress events specifically focussed on aflatoxin: (1) A workstream on Aflatoxin management, food safety and nutrition moderated by Ms Elizabeth Ogutu, Strategy and Operations Senior Officer of the African Union’s Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa ; and, (2) A symposium led by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and partners entitled Safeguarding Africa’s food: Are we winning or losing the fight against aflatoxin? Since aflatoxin affects both health and wealth, the symposium was jointly moderated by Dr David Githang’a, a paedetrician and cardiologist currently exploring the relationship between aflatoxin and child health, and Mr Gerald Masila, Executive Director of the Eastern Africa Grain Council. The workstream’s objective was to update stakeholders on contemporary aflatoxin research, and gaps. The lead paper was presented by Dr Ranajit Bandyopadhyay, Principal Plant Pathologist at IITA. The collegial, multi-institutional and interactive symposium that followed assembled a cross-section of world-class experts drawn from the diverse pool of organisations working on – or concerned about – aflatoxin. These experts briefed participants on the tragedies and triumphs in the fight against aflatoxin in Africa, based on the latest evidence presenting the problems, practical solutions on the ground, and mapping the way forward. Participants were drawn from research, industry, academia, policy, civil society, funding agencies, general public and the media.

See more: http://maize.org/tackling-aflatoxin-the-killer-poison-in-africas-food/