Morocco has ratified the treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency (AMA) under the African Union during a ceremony on Tuesday at the headquarters of the pan-African organization in Addis Ababa.
The ceremony to deposit the instruments of ratification of the treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency was organized by the Office of the Legal Counsel with the participation of Minata Samate, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development of the African Union and Mohamed Arrouchi, the Ambassador Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the African Union and the UNECA.
This treaty is about strengthening the capacity of African countries to regulate medicines in order to improve access to good quality, safe and effective medicines across the African continent.
“As a member of the African Union and a regional leader in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in terms of infrastructure, technology and experience acquired over the years, Morocco remains very committed to the high quality of medicines and is aware that the health and safety of the African citizen depends on quality medicinal products and effective medicines,” said Arrouchi during the ceremony.
The Moroccan diplomat noted that the African Medicines Agency is part of the pioneering initiatives launched by African leaders at the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union on February 11, 2019 in Addis Ababa, with the aim of contributing significantly to the promotion of African integration and achieving the objectives of the Continental Agenda 2063, especially since the African continent is not yet safe from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Agency will also serve as a continental regulatory body to regulate medicines and medicinal products on the African continent, and coordinate access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and health technologies to help overcome health crises and achieve self-sufficiency on the African continent.
Launched by African leaders at the 32nd African Union Summit on 11 February 2019 in Addis Ababa, the African Medicines Agency’s main objective is to improve the capacity of member states and regional economic communities to regulate medical products in order to improve access to effective medical products and facilitate the harmonization of medicines regulation to internationally acceptable standards, provide an enabling regulatory environment for pharmaceutical research and development, local production and trade across African countries and strengthen coordination among African countries for public health protection against the risks associated with the use of substandard medicines.
HA/lb/abj/APA