Nigeria ratify African Medicines Agency treaty as 34th member

Nigeria don formally complete im ratification of di treaty wey set up di African Medicines Agency (AMA), making am di 34th African Union member state to do so.

Dem announce am for di first AMA Week for Kigali, Rwanda, wey end on 30 October. Na Ambassador A. Twum-Amoah, di AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, announce am, according to NAFDAC.

Di AMA na continental body wey dem set up to help national drug regulators do dia work better and to make am easier for Africans to get medicines wey safe, effective and of good quality.

Why e matter for Nigerians

Nigeria don dey struggle with fake and substandard medicines for long time, and di country also dey try grow im own pharmaceutical industry. NAFDAC, di National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, talk say joining di agency open door to more sharing of information and expertise with other regulators on di continent.

Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, NAFDAC Director-General, wey attend di Kigali meeting, talk say di ratification strengthen Nigeria push against falsified medical products and support drug innovation and local manufacturing.

She talk say Nigeria size, as Africa most populous country and one of im biggest medicine markets, add weight to di continent 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 talk.

She careful to add say di paper step must now become real work: sustained cooperation between institutions, training for regulators and proper implementation of di treaty. She call di ratification more than diplomatic or legal win, she describe am as investment in Africa health security and pharmaceutical development.

Wetin go happen next

Joining di AMA no mean say medicine wey NAFDAC approve go automatically clear for other African countries. Dat one go depend on how di agency and national regulators put dia framework into practice.

For drug makers, closer cooperation fit cut down on repeated paperwork and make am simpler to sell across African borders, though di sources talk say dis one too depend on implementation.

Dem adopt di agency treaty for February 2019 and e take effect on 5 November 2021, after di 15th country ratify am. For May 2026, di World Health Organisation and di agency sign agreement to work more closely on regulatory standards and safety monitoring.