Nigeria Becomes 34th African State To Ratify Medicines Agency Treaty

KIGALI, Rwanda – Nigeria has become the 34th African Union member state to ratify the treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency (AMA), a move expected to strengthen medicines regulation, improve drug safety and support pharmaceutical development across the continent.

The ratification was announced on Friday by the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Ambassador A. Twum-Amoah, during the inaugural African Medicines Agency Week in Kigali, Rwanda.

The event, which began on 25 October, brought together medicines regulatory authorities, representatives of Regional Economic Communities, the World Health Organisation, the European Union and other international health partners to advance cooperation on medicines regulation in Africa.

Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Professor Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, said Nigeria’s participation was significant because of its position as Africa’s most populous country and one of the continent’s largest pharmaceutical markets.

She said ratification demonstrated Nigeria’s commitment to protecting public health, promoting pharmaceutical innovation and expanding local drug manufacturing to strengthen health security and economic development.

Adeyeye also highlighted opportunities for closer cooperation between NAFDAC, the AMA and other national and regional regulatory institutions to improve the safety and quality of medical products available across Africa.

She stressed that Nigeria’s membership must lead to practical improvements through institutional collaboration, regulatory capacity development, information sharing and scientific cooperation.

According to her, the effectiveness of the continental agency will depend largely on the strength of national medicines regulatory authorities and their ability to implement agreed standards. Adeyeye said the agency’s ultimate objective should be to ensure that Africans have access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines.

Describing Nigeria’s ratification as more than a diplomatic or legal achievement, she said it was “a significant investment in Africa’s health security, pharmaceutical sovereignty and sustainable development”.