For Immediate Release

Abuja, Nigeria - A four-day national training workshop on food safety supported by the United States Government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID), ends today in Abuja. The training was organized in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health, and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. This training follows the inauguration of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Food Safety and the National Food Safety Management Committee by the Government of Nigeria in January 2015.

USAID Mission Director in Nigeria Michael T. Harvey said the training is part of the U.S. Government's long-term effort to support the National Food Safety Management Committee as it puts in place a strong food safety regime to boost Nigeria's export market, as well as the agriculture sector. "We are pleased to have USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture work together with Nigerian counterparts to hold this workshop," he stated. The training workshop involved a series of case studies on topics such as quality management systems, risk analysis, food safety modernization act, and monitoring and evaluation procedures. The workshop's participants represented all of Nigeria's geo-political zones.

Since 2013, the U.S. Government, through USAID and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, has worked with Nigerian food industry stakeholders in the public and private sectors, and with development partners to revise the national food policy and develop an implementation strategy. These efforts have laid the foundation for the work of the recently inaugurated committees that are charged with ensuring that food safety systems in Nigeria are on par with international best practices. Interventions supported by the U.S. Government will improve food safety, thereby helping Nigerians avoid food-borne and food-related illnesses. Additional support to the "farm to table" food production and processing value chain will ensure that Nigeria's agricultural exports conform to international standards and food safety requirements, while creating more profitable agricultural entities and contributing to the diversification of the Nigerian economy.

For additional information, please contact Josephine Kamara atjkamara@usaid.gov<mailto:jkamara@usaid.gov>