WHO and Africa's medicines regulator team up to strengthen drug safety across the continent

Africa's pharmaceutical regulatory landscape is getting a serious overhaul. At the inaugural African Medicines Agency (AMA) Week and the 11th African Medicines Regulators Conference (AMRC), held in Kigali, Rwanda, WHO and AMA took major steps toward building a unified, science-driven regulatory system across the continent. The event brought together regulators, policymakers, industry players, and international partners to turn continental ambitions into concrete action.

A standout moment was the launch of AMA's seven technical committees, which will provide independent scientific expertise across medicines and vaccine evaluation, clinical trials, inspections, vigilance, and medical devices. Two new hubs — a Regulatory Innovation and Manufacturing Readiness Hub and a Capacity Strengthening Hub — were also unveiled to boost local pharmaceutical manufacturing and regulatory know-how.

Quick Facts:

• 10 African national regulatory authorities have now reached WHO's Global Benchmarking Maturity Level 3, signaling stable, well-functioning regulatory systems
• WHO and AMA signed a Framework Agreement in May 2026, backed by a five-year joint operational plan
• AMA's seven new technical committees will cover medicines, vaccines, clinical trials, inspections, vigilance, and medical devices

Why it matters: Fragmented regulatory systems have long delayed access to safe medicines across Africa. A harmonized continental framework could dramatically improve health security, curb substandard and falsified products, and advance universal health coverage for over a billion people.