On 21 and 22 September 2026, the ECOWAS Commission gathered representatives of member states, the Alliance of Sahel States, Chad and their technical partners for the final review of a Regional Training Guide on Aflatoxin Control. The document was adopted by consensus at the end of the meeting and published on 29 September. The proceedings were facilitated by the ECOWAS Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development together with the ECOWAS Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food, and chaired by the delegation of Senegal, which currently holds the rotating presidency of the ECOWAS conference of heads of state. Around twenty participants from national food safety authorities endorsed the tool.
Why the region built a common guide
Aflatoxins are toxic compounds produced by Aspergillus moulds. They are carcinogenic, they survive most ordinary processing, and they contaminate maize, groundnuts, cottonseed cake and many other ingredients that West African feed mills use every day. Contaminated lots are rejected by buyers, destroyed at borders and, in dairy animals, excreted into milk as aflatoxin M1, which is why milk standards in export markets are so strict. Until now, each country has trained its inspectors and laboratories differently. The new guide, developed under the World Bank funded Food System Resilience Programme and building on the African Union's Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa, gives member states one harmonised reference framework covering prevention, detection, monitoring and risk management from field to market.
What the ECOWAS aflatoxin training guide means for feed buyers
The guide is a capacity building tool, not a new legal maximum, so no limit changed on the day it was adopted. Its practical effect will appear over the coming seasons. When inspectors, laboratories and training institutions across the region work from the same manual, sampling becomes more consistent and enforcement of existing limits tightens. For feed manufacturers and importers this means that a maize lot accepted without testing last year may arrive with a certificate requirement next season. Buyers of maize, groundnut products, cottonseed cake and cereal by-products should tighten supplier controls now, before their own checks become the weakest link.
Practical steps for mills and farms
Start with specifications. Fix moisture limits for every incoming ingredient, require certificates of analysis from regular suppliers and agree in advance on who pays for testing when a lot fails. Build a simple risk based testing plan, sampling high-risk ingredients such as maize and groundnut cake at every delivery and lower-risk materials by lot. Improve storage discipline, because mould grows after purchase whenever grain sits warm and damp. And include a proven mycotoxin binder in rations built on regional raw materials, since even good surveillance cannot remove every contaminated kernel.
Turning a rule into an advantage
Harmonised standards reward the mills that already run clean operations. A feed producer who can show documented supplier controls and test results will find it easier to sell to dairies, integrators and export-facing customers as enforcement becomes more predictable. Jinmao Biotech supplies premixes, mycotoxin binders and feed additives with full technical documentation for customers across West Africa. If you want to review the mycotoxin risk in your current ration, contact our team on WhatsApp and we will help you build a practical testing and protection plan.