On the 28th and 29th of July 2025, the Cape Verdean capital Praia is hosting a decisive session of the ECOWAS Technical Committee for Standards Management (TMC). The aim: to review and validate revised regional standards for fortified foods, including iodized salt, fortified vegetable oils and fortified wheat flour. This initiative, supported by UNICEF, is part of the fight against persistent malnutrition in West Africa.
This technical session is part of the implementation of the Common Industrial Policy for West Africa (PICAO) and the Standards Harmonization Model (ECOSHAM). The ambition is clear: to strengthen the regional normative framework in terms of nutritional security, by adopting up-to-date standards aligned with international standards and meeting the public health priorities of member states.
Alongside the work on food standards, the Committee also validated the new composition of the bureaux of the sectoral technical committees THC2 (food products), THC4 (buildings and construction materials), THC8 (textiles and clothing) and THC9 (information and communication technologies), taking into account the withdrawal of certain AES countries.
In his opening speech, Mr. Lassané Kaboré, ECOWAS Director of Industry, emphasized the strategic impact of these harmonized standards: guaranteeing safe products for consumers while boosting the competitiveness of local industries. He also announced the imminent launch of a process to develop standards for complementary foods for infants and young children, in partnership with UNICEF.
For his part, Mr. Siméon Nanama, UNICEF Regional Nutrition Advisor for West and Central Africa, reiterated the urgent need to take action against malnutrition, a real brake on development. He highlighted large-scale fortification as a sustainable solution, praised the exemplary partnership between UNICEF and ECOWAS, and reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting the development of nutritional standards, particularly for young children.
Ms Ana Paula Spencer, President of the Institute for Quality Management and Intellectual Property (IGQPI), praised ECOWAS’s leading role in setting up a regional quality infrastructure, an essential lever for fairer and safer trade.
This TMC session marks a new stage in the regional drive to guarantee safe, fortified and accessible food for all, in the face of the growing challenges of malnutrition and food insecurity in West Africa.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
