The Republic of Zimbabwe becomes the twelfth (12^th) Member State to deposit the instrument of ratification of the African Medicines Agency (AMA). The Republic of Zimbabwe ratified the Treaty for the establishment of AMA on 31 August 2021 in Harare, Zimbabwe and deposited the instrument of accession, to the Commission of the African Union (AU) on 17 September 2021 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mr. Sabelo Mbokazi, Head of Labor, Employment and Migration, at the Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS) Directorate, on behalf of the African Union Commission received the instrument from the Zimbabwe delegation.

Speaking during the official deposit, the Ambassador of Zimbabwe to Ethiopia and the African Union H.E. Taonga Mushayavanhu noted that the deposit will add to the number of deposits required to meet the expected target of 15 deposits for the Treaty to come into force. “The Republic of Zimbabwe is looking forward to the operationalization of AMA and to contribute to the important role that the Agency will play in the standardization and regulation of medicines and medical products in the continent,” the Ambassador said.

The ratification and deposit of the instrument follows a high-level advocacy engagement between H.E President H.E. President Emmerson Mnangagwa of the Republic of Zimbabwe with Honourable Michel Sidibé the African Union Special Envoy for the AMA on 18 May, 2021 in Harare, Zimbabwe.

The Agency’s main function will be to promote the use of quality assured, safe and efficacious medicines, medical products and medical technologies in Africa. AMA will also monitor the medicines market through the collection of samples in every State Party to ensure the quality of selected drugs, have them analysed and provide the results to State Parties and other interested parties, who will thus have reliable information on the quality of the drugs circulating in their countries and, where necessary, will take appropriate measures.

Seventeen (17) member states have ratified the AMA Treaty and twelve (12) of these have deposited the instruments of ratification to the Commission. The AMA Treaty will enter into Force 30 days upon the deposit of the 15th instrument of ratification at the Commission. Pending the deposit of the 15th instrument of ratification, the Commission has invited member states to submit proposals for the hosting of the Africa Medicines Agency Headquarters. The Commission has also further extended the deadline for submission of interest to host the AMA up to 15th October 2021 per the ruling of the PRC on 6th September 2021. The Commission expects to have the establishment and operationalization of the AMA in full progress 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 provide support for the improvement of weak regulatory systems. 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).

For further inquiries on the AMA treaty, please contact:

• Office of the Legal Counsel of the African Union Commission
• Dr. Margaret Agama-Anyetei, Head of Division for Health, Nutrition and Population; Social Affairs Department; AU Commission; Tel: +251115162211; E-mail: Agama-AnyeteiM@africa-union.org

For media inquiries, please contact:

1. Ms. Dorothy Njagi | Strategic Communication Expert, Division for Health, Nutrition and Population | Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS) Directorate, 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 (ICD) | E-mail: GamalK@africa-union.org

Information and Communication Directorate | African Union Commission I E-mail: DIC@africa-union.org I Website: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube