The African Development Bank, the Government of Tanzania, and the Global Agriculture Food Security Program (GAFSP) have launched the Tanzania Initiative for Preventing Aflatoxin Contamination (TANIPAC), a strategic program aimed at enhancing food safety, protecting public health, and strengthening agricultural exports. The launch ceremony, presided over by President Samia Suluhu Hassan in Dodoma, brought together representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, farmer cooperatives, development partners, and international organizations. Demonstrations highlighted best practices in post-harvest handling and aflatoxin mitigation, emphasizing the significance of tackling aflatoxin contamination in staple crops such as maize, groundnuts, and rice.
TANIPAC is funded through a collaborative partnership, with the African Development Bank contributing $9.2 million, GAFSP providing $20 million, and the Government of Tanzania committing $34 million. The initiative focuses on reducing aflatoxin contamination by improving post-harvest practices, deploying modern storage technologies, and providing comprehensive training to farmers. President Hassan emphasized that food security is inseparable from food safety and highlighted TANIPAC’s role in equipping farmers to meet both domestic and international standards, positioning the initiative as both a health and economic intervention.
Since its commencement in 2019, TANIPAC has been implemented across 18 councils on the mainland and 2 in Zanzibar. The program strengthens agricultural livelihoods through improved post-harvest handling, enhanced laboratory infrastructure, and awareness campaigns on contamination prevention. Farmers benefit from essential tools such as metal silos, solar dryers, and moisture meters, along with training in aflatoxin prevention techniques. The initiative is expected to directly benefit over 60,000 farmers, addressing one of the main barriers to food security and trade in sub-Saharan Africa.
Philip Boahen, Lead Partnership and Coordinator of GAFSP at the African Development Bank, highlighted that TANIPAC not only prevents aflatoxin contamination but also enables farmers to access higher-value markets, increase incomes, and foster healthier communities. The initiative supports Tanzania’s Development Vision 2025 and its Five-Year Development Plan, reinforcing the country’s ambition to lead in food security, nutrition, and agricultural trade across East Africa. Clepin Josephat, Project Coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture, affirmed that TANIPAC empowers farmers to produce safe, high-quality crops capable of reaching both local and international markets, reflecting years of planning and collaboration to safeguard Tanzanian agriculture.
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