By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The African Medicines Agency
(AMA) and Africa CDC have convened regulators and partners in Harare, Zimbabwe,
to strengthen regulatory systems and improve market access for locally
manufactured health products across Africa.
The joint workshop on
Product Prioritisation and Fast-Track Regulatory Mechanisms for African
Manufacturers brought together National Regulatory Authorities, Regional
Regulatory Mechanisms, Member States and partners to examine ways of supporting
African manufacturers while maintaining high standards of quality, safety and
efficacy.
The workshop focused on
identifying priority health products aligned with the African Pooled
Procurement Mechanism (APPM) and developing accelerated regulatory pathways
that can enable African manufacturers to bring quality-assured products to
market more efficiently.
The initiative seeks to
connect product prioritisation, regulatory review, procurement and market
access, strengthening continental cooperation and creating a more predictable
and sustainable market for African-made health products.
According to the AMA,
stronger regulatory systems and improved market access are critical to
advancing Africa’s health products manufacturing agenda.
The workshop forms part of
the shared efforts by the AMA and Africa CDC to accelerate access to
quality-assured health products while supporting the African Union’s ambition
of manufacturing at least 60 percent of the continent’s health products locally
by 2040.
