News

Welcome to the latest UP-RISE updates! In this edition, we invite you to join our World Food Safety Day webinars, share highlights from the 5th UP-RISE General Assembly in Abuja, provide updates on the business cases in Nigeria and Kenya, showcase our co-creation activities across five target countries, and look ahead to the upcoming UP-RISE Gender-Responsive Bootcamp for Agripreneurs, which will be held in Nairobi in July.

Mycotoxin exposure in African fermented food systems highlights a significant gap between formal safety standards and the practical realities of informal markets, which lack tailored regulatory frameworks and adequate infrastructure.

UP-RISE was featured as an example of demonstrating innovative solutions in food safety, sharing the release of the 10 business cases and practice abstracts showcasing successful agri-entrepreneurial solutions; an example of how Horizon Europe collaboration is translating research into practical, scalable solutions for safer and more resilient food systems.

In mid-November 2025, the UP-RISE project reached another vital milestone by hosting a two-day multi-actor co-creation workshop in Minna, Niger State, Nigeria. This event brought together 41 participants, including 30 operators and 11 experts and community leaders, to tackle safety and quality concerns within the kunun zaki (a traditional fermented cereal-based beverage) value chain.

In November 2025, the UP-RISE project completed its final multi-actor co-creation workshop of the year at the Johannesburg Business School, South Africa. This two day intensive event gathered 33 participants, including 22 operators, to tackle food safety and quality challenges within the umqombothi (a traditional fermented beer) value chain. The workshop employed a participatory methodology, bringing together a diverse group of farmers, malters, millers, and processors from across the Gauteng province.

In November 2025, the UP-RISE project successfully hosted its third multi-actor co-creation workshop in Africa, this time in Kisumu, Kenya. Over two days, 25 participants —including 23 operators and 2 community leaders— gathered to address critical safety and quality challenges within the maziwa lala (traditional fermented milk) value chain. This workshop followed a farm-to-fork methodology to evaluate the entire chain, from the production of animal feed to the final distribution of fermented milk products.

In November 2025, the UP-RISE project continued its momentum in West Africa by hosting the multi-actor co-creation workshop for Côte d’Ivoire in Yamoussoukro. Held at the Hôtel Le Rocher, the two-day event focused on improving the safety and quality of the coco baca (a traditional maize-based product) value chain. The workshop brought together 25 operators from diverse regions, including Poro, Hambol, Gbêkê, and Bélier, facilitating discussions in French with local translations into Senoufo language.

In October 2025, the UP-RISE project reached a significant milestone in West Africa with the successful completion of the first multi-actor co-creation workshop in Cotonou, Benin. Hosted at the Chant d’Oiseau meeting centre on 24 and 25 October, the event brought together 39 participants to address food safety challenges within the akpan (a traditional fermented maize-based product) value chain.

UP-RISE has selected ten business cases involving agri-entrepreneurs active in both the informal and formal markets of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. These cases form part of the development and implementation of co-created solutions across the five traditional fermented food value chains.

This joint contribution was led by UP-RISE PhD researcher Lungani Nyathi, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Johannesburg, Ghent University, and CNR in Italy.