Statement by the University of Johannesburg on hosting the General Assembly of the EU funded project UP-RISE in Johannesburg between 12-14 February 2025
30 January 2025
The University of Johannesburg is honoured to host the General Assembly of the European funded project UP-RISE in Johannesburg from 12-14 February 2025.
This international gathering in South Africa will bring together consortium partners from Belgium, Italy, France, Netherlands, Nigeria, Kenya, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa, together with members of UP-RISE Accelerator Platform -trade organisations, rapid testkit providers, consumers or farmers organisations based in Africa- and its External Advisory Board -FAO, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, and the European, Belgian and French Food Safety Agencies-.
UP-RISE is the EU-AU Partnership for Resilient, Inclusive and Safe Food Systems for Everyone. It is composed of 13 international organisations ensuring an interdisciplinary approach and well-framed gender in order to maximise the project’s impact. Focusing on Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, it will provide groundbreaking knowledge for understanding mycotoxin contamination and possible solutions.
During the course of three days, participants will explore various aspects of strengthening the African food safety system to ensure a safer food supply for all. Discussions will focus on topics such as co-creating solutions for SMEs, knowledge transfer, multi-actor collaboration, mentoring, gender dimensions, food safety regulatory frameworks, value chain analysis, and fermentation processes. Participants will also have the opportunity to meet future leaders and AU Food Safety Ambassadors from the UP-RISE PhD Community.