By Daily Review Online
The African Medicines Agency (AMA) and Medicines for Africa (MFA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening Africa’s response to substandard and falsified medical products through enhanced advocacy, communication and regulatory collaboration.
The agreement, signed in Kigali on Thursday, will see AMA leverage the advocacy and communication expertise of Medicines for Africa to support National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) across the continent in combating the growing threat of unsafe medicines.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Director-General of the African Medicines Agency, Dr Delese Mimi Darko, said the partnership would reinforce efforts to improve access to safe, quality and effective medical products across Africa.
She noted that substandard and falsified medicines continue to flourish because of fragmented supply chains and weak regulatory oversight, stressing that stronger continental coordination and regulatory harmonisation are critical to addressing the problem.
According to her, combining AMA’s regulatory mandate with MFA’s public engagement expertise would help translate regulatory improvements into safer outcomes for patients while boosting public confidence in medicines.
The World Health Organisation estimates that one in every ten medical products in low- and middle-income countries fails quality standards, exposing millions of patients to potentially severe or fatal health consequences.
The two organisations said no single institution can address the challenge alone, making collaboration essential to protecting patients and strengthening health systems across the continent.
As Africa’s continental medicines regulator, AMA will work with Medicines for Africa, an African-led patient safety organisation known for its advocacy against substandard and falsified medicines, to promote the availability of safe, quality and effective medical products.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medicines for Africa, Dr Lenias Hwenda, described the agreement as a significant step toward placing patient safety at the heart of Africa’s medicines agenda.
He said the partnership would drive joint communication and advocacy programmes designed to reduce the circulation of fake and substandard medical products and improve public awareness across African countries.
The organisations expressed confidence that the collaboration would strengthen regulatory efforts, enhance public trust in health systems and contribute to better health outcomes for millions of Africans.