Africa: The African Union Holds the First Ordinary Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty

4 June 2022
African Union (Addis Ababa)
press release

The Conference of the States Parties (CoSP) to the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty, held their First Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 1 to 2 June 2022. The meeting sought to establish the Conference of the States Parties' Rules of Procedure as well as deliberate on the AMA Headquarters Assessment Report and make recommendations on the Agency's host country. Representatives of the African Union Commission and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) participated in the meeting.

H.E. Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development representing H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the AU Commission, reaffirmed the Commission's commitment in providing all the necessary support to the States Parties to the AMA Treaty towards the operationalization of the AMA at the earliest. Furthermore, the Commissioner highlighted the importance of the first meeting to the operationalization of the AMA, in order to enhance the capacity of the States Parties and AU recognized Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to regulate medicines, medical products and technology. Thus, enhance their efforts in the fight and elimination of the sale, and consumption of falsified and substandard medicines, medical products and technologies. H.E. Minata Samate Cessouma also reiterated the Commission's continued effort in working with all partners and stakeholders in the interest of human capital development, public health, safety and security.

The Conference of the States Parties convened Ministers of Health and competent Ministers or their duly designated representatives from People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, Republic of Benin, Republic of Cameroon, Republic of Chad, Arab Republic of Egypt, Gabonese Republic, Republic of Ghana, Republic of Mauritius, Kingdom of Morocco, Republic of Namibia, Republic of Niger, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Saharawi, Republic of Senegal, Republic of Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Uganda and the Republic of Zimbabwe.

The Conference of the States Parties adopted its Rules and Procedure and elected its Bureau. Additionally, the Conference of the States Parties endorsed the Assessment report on the hosting of the AMA Headquarters for on-ward submission to the 41st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council in July 2022.

The Conference of the States Parties is set to have an Extra-Ordinary Session before end of 2022 on the operationalization of the AMA.

About the African Medicines Agency (AMA)

The AMA Treaty was adopted by Heads of States and Government during their 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly on 11 February 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The African Medicines Agency aspires to enhance capacity of State Parties and AU recognized Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to regulate medical products in order to improve access to quality, safe and efficacious medical products on the continent. AMA shall build on the efforts of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) initiative (2009), which is led by the Africa Union Development Agency - the New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD). The AMRH initiative provides guidance to AU recognized Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Health Organizations (RHOs), to facilitate harmonization of regulatory requirements and practice among the national medicines authorities (NMRAs) of the AU Member States. AMA will be the second specialized health agency of the African Union after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

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