During our engagement with the AU Commissioner for Agriculture, CAfPRA raised concerns about the unchecked spread of GMOs and toxic chemicals across Africa. We highlighted the urgent need for a continental regulatory framework to protect African farmers, food systems, and consumers from external manipulation.
In a powerful response, the Commissioner vehemently opposed GMOs, criticized the influence of powerful actors such as Bill Gates in their promotion, and revealed that her own country had outrightly rejected them. She went further to declare that upon her retirement, she would actively campaign as an anti-GMO activist. These remarks sparked widespread coverage across African media, amplifying the call for a policy redirection toward food sovereignty and regenerative agriculture.
Raising Red Flags on Vaccine Safety
CAfPRA also pressed the AU Commissioner for Health during a media briefing, asking hard questions about the long-term safety of mRNA vaccines introduced during the pandemic. We noted the absence of a centralized African database to track and record vaccine injuries, stressing that without such a mechanism, governments and citizens remain in the dark.
We further raised the risks of embracing new vaccine technologies—including those for HPV, cholera, and malaria without transparent, independent risk assessments. Our intervention underscored the danger of rushing the adoption of unfamiliar technologies under external influence, at the expense of Africa’s long-term health sovereignty.
Why This Matters for Africa
CAfPRA’s engagements at the AU Summit reinforce a simple truth: Africa’s future cannot be outsourced. Policies on agriculture and health must be designed with Africans at the center, not dictated by corporate or foreign interests.
We are therefore calling on the AU to:
- Establish a continental GMO and chemical regulation framework to safeguard food sovereignty.
- Build a pan-African vaccine safety monitoring database to ensure transparency and accountability.
- Commit to independent, Africa-led risk assessments for all new food and health technologies.
Looking Ahead
The AU Summit was not the end but the beginning of a new wave of advocacy. CAfPRA will continue to work with policymakers, civil society, and partner organizations like CEFSAR to ensure these issues are treated not just as technical debates, but as matters of continental security, sovereignty, and survival.
Africa deserves nothing less than policies that protect its people, its food, and its future.