The African Union has renewed pressure on the remaining 24 member states to ratify the African Medicines Agency Treaty to safeguard the continent against substandard and falsified medical products.

In a statement on Monday, the African Medicines Agency announced a renewed push at a high-level presidential breakfast convened by the AMA on the margins of the 39th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in Addis Ababa.

Although 31 of the AU’s 55 member states have ratified the treaty, leaders expressed concern that the remaining 24 countries have yet to do so, creating regulatory gaps that weaken continental protection against unsafe medical products.

It noted that while the AMA headquarters in Kigali has been operationalised and foundational structures are in place, full functionality depends on universal ratification and domestication of the treaty across member states.

It quoted the vice president of Seychelles, Sebastien Pillay, who reaffirmed his country’s political and financial commitment to the agency and announced a contribution of $200,000, double the $100,000 seed funding required of state parties.

Mr Pillay urged larger economies on the continent to demonstrate similar commitment, stressing that a robust continental regulator would enhance Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and competitiveness.

Tunisia’s health minister, Mustapha Ferjani, underscored the centrality of regulatory sovereignty to Africa’s broader health and economic ambitions.

Delese Mimi Darko, director general of AMA, updated leaders on progress made since the treaty’s adoption in 2019, noting that the agency has transitioned from a legal framework on paper to a functioning continental institution.

“Over the past five years, we have moved from a treaty on paper to a living institution,” she said.

Ms Darko outlined the agency’s 2030 targets, including achieving universal ratification, attaining World Health Organisation Listed Authority status, and becoming financially self-reliant.

She explained that the AMA is already collaborating with ratifying member states to strengthen national regulatory systems, streamline joint assessments of medical products and promote reliance mechanisms that reduce duplication and accelerate approvals.

Meanwhile, the AU commissioner for health, humanitarian affairs and social development, Amma Twum-Amoah, described the AMA as a strategic pillar of the continent’s health and development architecture.

Ms Twum-Amoah said universal ratification and sustainable financing were achievable within the current political cycle, positioning the agency as integral to delivering on the African Health Strategy 2030 and Agenda 2063.

She said that the assembly’s deliberations framed the AMA not only as a health initiative but also as a key driver of industrialisation and intra-African trade, particularly within the context of the AfCFTA.

Experts at the meeting noted that a unified African medicines regulatory system would boost investor confidence, support local pharmaceutical manufacturing, facilitate cross-border trade in medical products, and strengthen Africa’s collective bargaining power in global health markets.

(NAN)