Vacancy: Food Safety Specialist at The Food and Agriculture Organization

The Regional Office for Africa (RAF) leads FAO’s response to regional priorities for food security, agriculture and rural development. It ensures a multidisciplinary approach to programmes, identifies priority areas of action for the Organization in the region and, in collaboration with departments and divisions at Headquarters, develops, promotes and oversees FAO’s strategic response to regional priorities. In its programme delivery, RAF contributes to the achievements of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially the eradication of poverty, achieving zero hunger, good health and well-being. The Sub-Saharan African region continues to be afflicted by hunger and malnutrition. Critical factors contributing to sub-optimal food systems in the region are related to high levels of Post-Harvest Losses, weak investment in agribusiness and value chains and food safety issues that hamper trade in food commodities. It is therefore vital that systems are put in place to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural and food systems at local, national and international levels. This could be done through reinforcing public sector capacity to work with the private sector and civil society organizations in order to develop sustainable value chains for agricultural products, with particular attention to strengthening farmer market-agribusiness linkages.