By Monica Kayumbo/Zambia/Lusaka
AFRICAN Union (AU) leaders have just concluded the 39th African Union (AU) Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government Summit held from February 14 to 15 respectively in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and this where history has been made as the leaders have made a fresh push for the remaining 24 AU Member States to ratify the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty, warning that gaps in continental regulation may leave the region vulnerable to substandard and falsified medical products.
At a High-Level Presidential breakfast convened by AMA and also attended by Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema; government leaders, partners and AU leadership stressed that universal ratification is critical to strengthening health security and supporting Africa’s pharmaceutical industry.
It was during this Summit that several pledges were made where Seychelles Vice President his Excellency Sebastien Pillay announced a $200,000 financial commitment to AMA, doubling the seed fund contribution of 100k required of state parties, and challenged larger nations to match it.
Tunisia’s Health Minister Dr Mustapha Ferjani highlighted that “Africa’s health sovereignty depends on regulatory sovereignty”
AMA Director General his Excellency Dr Delese Mimi Darko outlined the agency’s ambition to be universally ratified and financially strong by 2030, noting that “over the past five years, AMA has moved from a Treaty on paper to a living institution”
President Hichilema called for an end to Africa’s dependence on external vaccines and medicines, emphasizing the need for the continent to build resilience and self-reliance in health systems.
Mr Hichilema who is also the AU cholera champion stressed that Africa cannot continue relying on outside for basic medicines, highlighting the impact of changing global geopolitics on health systems.
Convened by the AMA, the breakfast brought together Heads of State and Government, AU leadership, and senior representatives of the AMA, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat to accelerate the Agency’s full operationalisation, universal ratification, and sustainable financing.
In her closing remarks, her Excellency Ambassador Amma Twum‑Amoah, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development of the African Union Commission, framed the AMA as central to the AU’s wider health and development agenda. She affirmed that the Commission “firmly believes that universal ratification, full implementation and sustainable financing of the African Medicines Agency are achievable within this political cycle,” describing the AMA as “a shared continental asset integral to delivering on the African Health Strategy 2030 Android Agenda 2063, and the commitments our Member States have made to protect the health and wellbeing of their people.”
Currently, 31 of 55 AU member states have ratified the AMA Treaty. With headquarters now operational in Kigali, and a director officially in place, leaders argue that universal ratification is the next essential step.
