When the African Medicines Agency became operational in Kigali in October 2025, it inherited one of the continent’s most difficult health-policy problems: how to make medicines regulation faster, more trusted and less fragmented across 55 African Union member states. For years, African countries have relied on a patchwork of national regulators, regional harmonisation initiatives, WHO […] Continue reading ->
The African Medicines Agency (AMA) called on the 24 African member states that are yet to ratify the AMA Treaty to “act without delay” at a meeting on the sidelines of last week’s African Union assembly in Addis Ababa. AMA aims to improve African countries’ capacity to regulate medical products, which will improve access to […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated government regulatory authorities in Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom as WHO-Listed Authorities (WLAs), a status granted to national authorities that meet the highest international regulatory standards for medical products. The recognition widens the pool of WHO-recognized authorities significantly beyond the previously recognized authorities in Europe, the United […] Continue reading ->
CEO of Ghana’s Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) Dr Delese Mimi Darko has been appointed the inaugural Director-General of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) by the agency’s Conference of State Parties (CoSP) at a meeting in Rwanda this week. Darko has a “wealth of experience and a distinguished track record in regulatory excellence”, according to […] Continue reading ->
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), has announced the creation of a pooled African medicines procurement mechanism at the 37th African Union Summit, which ended yesterday. The mechanism aims to spearhead “a new era of predictable demand for African manufacturers, empowering them to plan for the long-term and establish a robust […] Continue reading ->
CAIRO, Egypt -Some 70% of countries globally have weak national medicines regulatory systems. But the launch of the African Medicines Agency should help address many of the shortcomings on the African continent, said speakers at the 6th Scientific Conference on Medicines Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA), convened here in mid-December. The conference, organized by the African Union […] Continue reading ->
Strengthening Africa’s medicines regulatory framework is key to achieving the “bold goal” of having 60% of the continent’s vaccines produced locally by 2040, said Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda, head of health at the African Union’s development agency, AUDA-NEPAD. But only 7% of African country’s national medicines regulatory agencies (NMRA) have “moderately developed capacity”, and more than 90% […] Continue reading ->
Three more countries, Kenya, Cape Verde and Democratic Republic of Congo, have ratified the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty recently – and Kenya’s ratification now means that most major East African countries are on board with the treaty. Twenty-six countries have now fully ratified the treaty, one of the steps required for the establishment of […] Continue reading ->
The African Medicine Agency (AMA) came a small step closer to reality over the weekend when Rwanda signed a Host Country Agreement with the African Union (AU) Commission. The AMA will serve as a continental body that provides regulatory leadership on medicines, enabling a harmonized regulatory system on the continent – but it has still […] Continue reading ->
BLANTYRE, Malawi – Key Malawian key stakeholders have given the nod for the country to ratify the African Medicines Agency (AMA) treaty, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has confirmed. The AMA is being established as a specialised agency of the African Union (AU) dedicated to improving access to quality, safe and […] Continue reading ->