About 1 in 10 people in the world fall sick after eating food contaminated through improper farming, processing, preservation and services. In Nigeria, more than 200,000 persons die of food poison annually, caused by contaminated foods. The cost of illnesses associated with foodborne diseases in Nigeria is estimated at US$ 3.6 billion per annum. Though there is poor data collection on foodborne outbreaks, evidence exists to show that these contribute to ill health and death in the country as well as reduce productivity and economic growth. Studies and existing facts reveal that law makers, enforcement officers, regulators, food handlers and even the consuming public do not take food safety very seriously. This article examines the varied cases of foodborne outbreaks in Nigeria with the aim to assess the role and ambit of food safety regulations in Nigeria. It seeks to determine whether the present regulatory framework permits adequate regulation of the informal sector that serves the majority of the Nigerian consumers. While observing various challenges that may be encountered by the regulators, it offers recommendations on issues that require legislative reforms and pragmatic approaches in tackling the regulatory challenges. It concludes that the intergovernmental and the multi-agency cooperation envisaged by the National Policy on Food Safety and its Implementation Strategy, 2014, will be better achieved if the definition of “food” in the food laws are extended, in line with best practices and current realities, to allow for comprehensive regulation and coordination of the food chain system.Keywords: Food Safety, Foodborne Illnesses, Food Regulation, Food Security.

The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is impacting on food systems and has exposed the poor state of food security and lack of food system infrastructures. Consequently, sub-Saharan Africa countries face the compounded risk of COVID-19 and hunger. The syndemic will pose serious challenges for achieving food security imperatives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This article discusses the dynamics of food security imperatives brought about by COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the mitigating efforts of sub-Saharan African governments in addressing COVID-19 and how this effort impacts the attainment of SDGs One, Two, Three and 12. It finds that while the pandemic provides an opportunity for governments to strengthen their commitments, it raises questions on the ambitious global efforts to deliver SDGs by 2030. It recommends that African governments need to maximize intra-African trade with investments in agricultural biotechnological infrastructure in order to close the gap between the targets and the realities, in the efforts towards achieving the SDGs.

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To achieve universal energy access will attract huge capital investments. If sub-Saharan Africa is to realize anything close to the ambitious goals set for its energy access, then new actors, innovative funding mechanisms and sustainable technologies will have to be attracted. Finance is needed for activities such as rural electrification, clean cooking facilities, diesel motors and generators, other renewable energy technologies, oil and gas infrastructures, etc. Finance is also needed in research and development of suitable technologies and funding options as well as investment in the capacity to formulate and implement sound energy policies. This chapter examines the varied financing options for energy access in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that with appropriate laws in place and effective mechanism for implementation, African countries can significantly engage private sector financing, international financial institutions and foreign donors. The role of the law here will be in creating an enabling environment for financing.