The ceremony for the deposit of the instruments of ratification of the treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency was organized by the Office of the Legal Counsel with the participation of Minata Samate, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development of the African Union and Mohamed Arrouchi, Ambassador Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to the African Union and the ECA-UN.
This treaty is to strengthen the capacity of African countries to regulate medicines, in order to improve access to good quality, safe and effective medicines across the African continent.
“As a member of the African Union and a regional leader in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly in terms of infrastructure, technology and experience acquired over the years, Morocco remains very attached to the high quality of medicines and is aware that the health and safety of the African citizen depends on quality medicinal products and effective drugs”, underlined Mohamed Arrouchi during this ceremony.
The Moroccan diplomat noted that the African Medicines Agency is one of the pioneering initiatives launched by African leaders during the 32nd ordinary session of the Assembly of the African Union on February 11, 2019 in Addis Ababa, with the aim of contribute significantly to the promotion of African integration and to achieve the objectives of the continental Agenda 2063, especially since the African continent is not yet immune to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Agency will also serve as the continental regulatory body responsible for regulating medicines and medicinal products on the African continent, and coordinating access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and health technologies in to help overcome health crises and achieve self-sufficiency on the African continent.
The Kingdom reaffirms its full availability to share its expertise in the field of medicines and to support the African Medicines Agency in all stages of operationalization, as part of its commitment to African development initiatives and in accordance with its African policy. conducted under the wise leadership of King Mohammed VI, argued Mohamed Arrouchi.
The deposit by the Kingdom of the instruments of ratification of the treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency is part of the realization of the Royal Vision of HM King Mohammed VI, since the return of Morocco to the African family, aimed at consolidating common African action, reaffirmed the Moroccan diplomat.
Launched by African leaders at the 32nd Summit of the African Union on February 11, 2019 in Addis Ababa, the African Medicines Agency sets as its main objective the improvement of the capacities of Member States and Regional Economic Communities to regulate the medical products with a view to improving access to effective medical products and facilitating the harmonization of medicines regulation in order to achieve internationally acceptable standards, provide an enabling regulatory environment for pharmaceutical research and development, production and trade across African countries and to strengthen coordination among African countries for public health protection against the risks associated with the use of substandard medicines.