Rwanda Food and Drug Authority (Rwanda FDA) and the Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority (RICA), on Friday, June 17, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Trade in Agriculture Safely and Efficiently in East Africa (TRASE), a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food for Progress (FFPr)-funded project, to improve Sanitary Phytosanitary (SPS) measures in the country.
TRASE’s joint activities in Rwanda are implemented by Land O’Lakes Venture37, a non-profit committed to helping communities around the world thrive through agriculture.
Since its launch in 2020, TRASE has been working with the East African Community (EAC) to become a more competitive trading block by strengthening SPS systems. The project is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and has country offices in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The EAC represents one of the fastest growing regional economic communities in the world; however, trade of agricultural products from and within this region has been hindered by SPS issues. TRASE is working with target countries to address SPS-related bottlenecks that impede trade.
TRASE aims to improve SPS coordination at both the EAC regional and national levels; support the increased domestication of approved EAC measures; strengthen SPS institutional and policy frameworks; and support the private sector in improving engagement & consumer awareness.
The program builds upon prior SPS investments and initiatives and focuses on priority trade flows.
The project will train over 4,000 individuals from the public and private sector on SPS related issues, reduce interception of produce from the EAC by 5%, leverage $1,500,000 for SPS-related investments, strengthen conformity testing of 28 private and public labs in EAC and reach 5 million people indirectly through various media outlets.
The MoU with Rwanda FDA and RICA aims to improve the implementation of SPS measures through improved coordination by supporting the National SPS committee, increase regulatory oversight by leveraging private sector investments and encourage public and private partnerships under the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) program that promotes internationally-accepted best practices in farming.
It will support the development of an operational framework for the multiple agencies involved in food safety inspections through supporting the development of a robust policy environment to facilitate the establishment of a well-coordinated Food Safety Management system.
The MoU will also support select laboratories to improve the quality and accuracy of data through inter-laboratory comparisons and laboratory benchmarking.
The Rwandan government has shown a keen interest in improving compliance to SPS measures through the establishment of institutions such as Rwanda FDA and RICA, that play a central role in the facilitation of SPS compliance to support trade in agricultural produce.
The government has also played a major role in the development of supporting legislation such as the Plant Health Law and the Seed and Plant Varieties Law, among others.
The MoU will lay the foundation for a strong working relationship between Rwanda FDA, RICA, and the TRASE program. TRASE will continue to work with Rwanda to increase trade in agricultural commodities regionally and internationally.
(L-R) Martha Byanyima, Chief of Party TRASE project, and Beatrice Uwumukiza, ,the Director General at Rwanda Inspectorate, Competition and Consumer Protection Authority during the signing ceremony on June 17.
Martha Byanyima and Beatrice Uwumukiza sign the agreement on June 17.
Delegates pose for a group photo after signing the agreement in Kigali on June 17.
Dr Emile Bienvenu, Director General of Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority, speaks during the signing event on June 17.