My dear Sisters Nardos and Mimi,
My dear brother Jean,
Your Excellency Emmanuel Bugingo,

Let me begin by congratulating the team for their unwavering commitment and hard work, which have brought us to this successful conclusion.

As we bring this very important engagement to a close, we do so with a shared sense of accomplishment and confidence. Today, clarity of direction has been affirmed, institutional responsibility has been decisively transferred, and a renewed sense of duty has been firmly set in motion.

We have witnessed a powerful demonstration of African institutional maturity and effectiveness. The Commission has fulfilled its convening and oversight mandate. AUDA-NEPAD has delivered with technical excellence and operational discipline. The African Medicines Agency has stepped forward, ready, capable and fully empowered to lead. The Africa CDC is equally deserving of high commendation for its steadfast and unwavering support.

Collectively, we have shown that Africa can design, incubate, transition and sustainably manage complex continental initiatives with confidence, coherence and purpose.

Dear Colleagues,
This carefully stewarded institutional transition, anchored in trust, transparency and collective responsibility, significantly strengthens the mandate, authority and leadership role of the African Medicines Agency. It is a clear expression of continuity, goodwill and shared ownership in action.

This moment carries deep political and historical significance. It reflects the collective will of our Member States to move decisively from aspiration to execution, from dependency to sovereignty, and from fragmented efforts to unified continental action. In consolidating authority within the African Medicines Agency, Africa is making a clear political statement: that the regulation of its medicines, the protection of its people and the stewardship of its health future must rest firmly in African hands.

Looking ahead, the task before the African Medicines Agency is both demanding and inspiring. The Agency stands at the heart of Africa’s ambition to achieve health sovereignty, advance regulatory convergence, support local pharmaceutical production and safeguard the health and dignity of Africans. This is not merely a regulatory mandate; it is a mission of development, equity, resilience and intergenerational responsibility.

The Commission, therefore, reaffirms its unwavering commitment to supporting the African Medicines Agency as it grows into a strong, credible, and globally respected institution with a clear and authoritative voice on the international stage. This handover is not an endpoint; it is a strategic inflection point. It signals Africa’s readiness to take full ownership of its health agenda and to build institutions that will endure beyond individual mandates, political cycles, and external pressures.

In years to come, this transition should be remembered as a defining chapter, a moment when Africa chose to institutionalise trust in itself to invest in its own regulatory leadership and to leave behind a legacy of strengthened systems for future generations. This is how we translate vision into permanence, and commitment into continental legacy.

On behalf of the Commission, I warmly congratulate the Director-General of the African Medicines Agency and the Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD for their exemplary collaboration and for the successful organisation of this important meeting.

We close this chapter with pride, and we open the next with purpose, resolve, and conviction.

I am truly proud to be a daughter of this great continent.

I thank you all and I wish you safe travels and continued success in the service of Africa.