Nigeria ratifies African Medicines Agency treaty as 34th member

Nigeria has formally completed its ratification of the treaty setting up the African Medicines Agency (AMA), making it the 34th African Union member state to do so.

The announcement came at the first AMA Week in Kigali, Rwanda, which ended on 30 October. It was made by Ambassador A. Twum-Amoah, the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, according to NAFDAC.

The AMA is a continental body set up to help national drug regulators do their work better and to make it easier for Africans to get medicines that are safe, effective and of good quality.

Why it matters for Nigerians

Nigeria has a long-running problem with fake and substandard medicines, and the country is also trying to grow its own pharmaceutical industry. NAFDAC, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, says joining the agency opens the door to more sharing of information and expertise with other regulators on the continent.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC's Director-General, who attended the Kigali meeting, said the ratification strengthens Nigeria's push against falsified medical products and supports drug innovation and local manufacturing.

She said Nigeria's size, as Africa's most populous country and one of its biggest medicine markets, adds weight to the continent's efforts to bring regulation into line.

"Ultimately, success of African Medicines Agency will be measured by its contribution to ensuring that every African has access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines," Adeyeye said.

She was careful to add that the paper step must now become real work: sustained cooperation between institutions, training for regulators and proper implementation of the treaty. She called the ratification more than a diplomatic or legal win, describing it as an investment in Africa's health security and pharmaceutical development.

What happens next

Joining the AMA does not mean a medicine approved by NAFDAC is automatically cleared in other African countries. That will depend on how the agency and national regulators put their framework into practice.

For drug makers, closer cooperation could cut down on repeated paperwork and make it simpler to sell across African borders, though the sources say this too depends on implementation.

The agency's treaty was adopted in February 2019 and took effect on 5 November 2021, after the 15th country ratified it. In May 2026, the World Health Organisation and the agency signed an agreement to work more closely on regulatory standards and safety monitoring.