On the 24th Feb 2021, WHO has supported the Ministry of Health, specifically the National Medicines and Food Administration (NMFA), with delivery of crucial IT equipment, that will significantly contribute to efficiency of medicines and health product registration. 

As indicated in the WHO benchmarking assessment conducted in 2017, the need for digitalizing the regulatory system, as well as capacity building of the registration division, was a top priority. Since then, WHO has supported the country through technical capacity building, with trainings that targeted the division and other stakeholders such as local pharmaceutical company Azel, PHARMECOR, the Pharmaceutical division of the Ministry of Health (MOH), and clinicians. In addition, WHO provided technical support in the development of key guidelines and standard operating procedures such as a Guideline for Medical Devices registration, revising Essential List of Medicines, and Scheduling of Medicines among others. 

To further materialize these efforts, WHO has provided IT equipment, worth 370, 806 ERN. The procured materials include server, server rack, printers, hard-drives, and laptops. These IT tools are expected to supplement the ongoing effort to upgrade the capacity of the regulatory agency and upgrade its maturity level.  Furthermore, NMFA and WHO are collaborating to support the development of user-friendly application that will yield efficient product registration, evaluation of dossiers submitted by manufacturers, tracking manufacturer’s license, certification and renewal of licenses, and other key functions.