On 1 November 2021, the Republic of Uganda became the twenty sixth (26^th) African Union (AU) member state to sign the Treaty for the establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) at the AU Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mme. Cisse Mariama Mohamed the Director for Social Development, Culture and Sports directorate received the delegation from Uganda on behalf of H.E. Mrs. Amira Elfadil, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development. 

Mme. Cisse, Mariama Mohamed expressed her appreciation to the Republic of Uganda for the leadership in signing the Treaty for the establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). “The Commission continues to count on the Republic of Uganda’s leadership in accelerating the ratification of the AMA Treaty and calls on your leadership to mobilize other member states in your region to sign and ratify the Treaty,” she added.

Speaking at the signing occasion, H.E. Rebecca Amuge Otengo, Ambassador of Uganda to Ethiopia and the African Union expressed her gratitude to the Commission for the advocacy efforts on the establishment of the AMA noting the important role that AMA will play particularly in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

AMA will among other functions provide regulatory guidance, scientific opinions and a common framework for regulatory actions on medical products, as well as priority and emerging issues and pandemics in the event of a public health emergency on the continent with cross border or regional implications where new medical products are to be deployed for investigation and clinical trials. The Agency will also convene, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the African Medicines Regulators Conference (AMRC) and other bodies, and hold meetings related to medical products regulation in Africa.

To date, twenty-six (26) member states have signed the Treaty, eighteen (18) of these have ratified and seventeen (17) have deposited the instruments of ratification to the Commission. The 15^th instrument of ratification was deposited at the African Union Commission on the 5^th of October 2021 and the Treaty will enter into Force (as per Article 38) of the Treaty on 5^th November 2021. The Commission expects to have the established AMA in 2022.

The African Union Commission encourages all its member states to sign and ratify the Treaty for the establishment of AMA in the interest of public health, safety and security. The Treaty is available for signature at the Headquarters of the Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

About the African Medicines Agency (AMA)

The AMA Treaty was adopted by Heads of States and Government during their 32^nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly on 11 February 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The African Medicines Agency aspires to enhance capacity of State Parties and AU recognized Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to regulate medical products in order to improve access to quality, safe and efficacious medical products on the continent. AMA shall build on the efforts of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) initiative (2009), which is led by the Africa Union Development Agency - the New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD). The AMRH initiative provides guidance to AU recognized Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Regional Health Organizations (RHOs), to facilitate harmonization of regulatory requirements and practice among the national medicines authorities (NMRAs) of the AU Member States. AMA will be the second specialized health agency of the African Union after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Further information should be directed to:

1. Mohamed Salem Boukhari Khalil, Office of the Legal Counsel of the African Union Commission Tel: +251911405697; Email: KhalilM@africa-union.org
2. Dr. Margaret Agama-Anyetei, Ag. Director of Health and Humanitarian Affairs Directorate; Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, AU Commission; Tel: +251115182211; E-mail: Agama-AnyeteiM@africa-union.org

For further media inquiries, please contact:

1. Ms. Dorothy Njagi | Strategic Communication Expert, Directorate of Health and Humanitarian Affairs | Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, African Union Commission | Mobile: +251940559950 | E-mail: njagid@africa-union.org
2. Mr. Gamal Eldin Ahmed A. Karrar | Senior Communication Officer | Information and Communications Directorate | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

Information and Communication Directorate, African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org
Web: www.au.int  | Addi