• Facility to test food, plant, animal products and assess risks

• Lab aims to boost health protection and agricultural export competitiveness

Togo has inaugurated a National Laboratory for Food Safety and Phytosanitary Control (LaNSA). President Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové opened the facility on Thursday, April 23, as part of celebrations marking the country’s 66th independence anniversary.

The laboratory will conduct testing and analysis of food and plant- and animal-based products. It will also generate scientific data to assess sanitary and phytosanitary risks.

According to its director, Komla Sanda, LaNSA is intended to serve as a reference laboratory to protect consumer health, ensure the phytosanitary quality of agricultural output, and strengthen the competitiveness of Togo’s agricultural and agri-food exports in regional and international markets.

As a public institution with a scientific and technological mandate, it has a dual mission: supporting the implementation of national sanitary and phytosanitary policy, and assisting economic operators in agropoles, cooperatives and agri-food industries through product certification for domestic and export markets.

To meet these objectives, “the laboratory will rely on a strategy focused on performance, quality and international accreditation, as well as the development of partnerships and stronger outreach to mobilize resources,” Sanda said.

At launch, LaNSA will offer analysis of nutritional quality in food for humans and animals, as well as detection of hazardous contaminants such as heavy metals, including lead, and mycotoxins. From June 2026, it will expand services to include analysis of pesticide residues across various food products.

Esaïe Edoh