Honorable Minister of Health and Child Welfare of Zimbabwe, and Chair of the Sixty-Seventh Session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa,
Honorable Ministers from the African Region , Eastern Mediterranean Region and heads of delegations,
Dear Commissioner of Social Affairs of the African Union Commission,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good evening. It is an honour for me to deliver the World Health Organization’s message at the opening of this important side event.
I would like to express my gratitude to the African Union Commission for the invitation to take part in the discussions around the establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA).
I commend the work of the Task Team Members, through the Chair and Member States - both legal and national medicines regulatory authorities’ experts who contributed to previous consultations to arrive at this point for the establishment of the AMA.
I also commend the excellent support provided by the joint Secretariat composed of the African Union Commission Department of Social Affairs, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency, and WHO.
This exemplary collaborative work has helped us to remain on track in the implementation of the milestones which were set by the first African Health Ministers meeting, jointly convened by WHO and the AUC in Angola in April 2017.
Honourable Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, these key milestones were subsequently endorsed by the AU Summit, which requested the AUC and NEPAD, in close collaboration with WHO, to define the scope of medical products to be under the remit of the AMA, and work out detailed modalities, the institutional framework, legal and financial implications for the establishment of the AMA, by 2018.
The AMA will also provide a platform for strengthening ongoing regional and continental harmonization initiatives, and serve the purpose of pooling expertise and capacities for optimal use of the limited resources.
Let us also aim to ensure that there are necessary synergies which take into account other existing initiatives, such as the African Vaccine Regulatory Forum (AVAREF), African Medicines Regulation Harmonization (AMRH), as well as platforms to promote harmonization and cooperation among countries.
Honourable Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, as we work towards establishment of the AMA, let us keep in mind that the ultimate goal should be to have very strong national regulatory systems, with very good technical backup at sub-regional and continental levels.
WHO eagerly looks forward to the establishment of the AMA; we shall continue to provide normative and technical support to Member States in line with our mandate, and collaborate with the AMA within a framework that clearly defines roles and responsibilities.
Honourable Ministers, this side event today is an important milestone towards realization of the goal of establishment of AMA. I wish you fruitful discussions and a very successful meeting.
Thank you for your attention.