The Rwandan government and the African Union Commission (AUC) have concluded plans to establish the first African Medicines Agency (AMA) based in Kigali, Rwanda. The signing comes a few days after the Rwandan authorities officially agreed to host the AMA headquarters on its territory.
More than four years after the adoption of the treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency in 2019, it is a first step in making this new African Union body operational, according to Rwandan Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana.
The tasks of the new agency include regulating and harmonizing the market on the continent, encouraging production in Africa and combating the trafficking of counterfeit medicines.
According to the AUC, the creation of the African Medicines Agency is part of the African Union’s strategy to reduce the continent’s dependence on pharmaceutical products supplied by foreign countries. In fact, Africa imports 97% of its demand for pharmaceuticals.
In about ten days, personnel recruitment will still be discussed in Kigali during the second extraordinary session of the 23 signatory states of the treaty establishing the AMA. [Da Redazione InfoAfrica]
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