Egypt wins African Medicines Agency board membership to represent 23 Arab and African countries

MENA , Ahram Online , Wednesday 24 Apr 2024

The Ministry of Health and Population announced that Assistant Minister of Health for Public Health Projects and Initiatives Mohamed Hassani has won the African Medicines Agency (AMA) board membership.

Medicines
The new headquarters of Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population in the New Administrative Capital. Al-Ahram

 

Hassani represents the Sahel and Sahara Gathering, which includes 23 Arab and African countries, health ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar said in a statement. 

The announcement came during the third exceptional conference for the parties of the AMA Treaty, adopted by the AU Assembly on 11 February 2019 and held in Addis Ababa for three days. 

The AMA, a specialized agency of the African Union (AU), is dedicated to improving access to quality, safe, and effective medical products in Africa.
 
Representatives from 30 African countries attended the AMA inaugural session, Abdel-Ghaffar said. 

During the session, the AMA board held its meeting after its formation was approved and the bureau was elected, he added.  

Abdel-Ghaffar stated that the meeting discussed mechanisms to activate the agency's work and approve organizational structure as well as procedures related to the election of the director-general.

According to the statement, Egypt is one of the first African countries to contribute to the establishment of the AMA, and it works intensively with the countries participating in the treaty to ensure standard activation of the agency's activities.  

The agency aims to promote cooperation in medicines and medical equipment among African countries and improve the quality of regulatory bodies in various countries.

Additionally, it supports standard registration procedures for pharmaceuticals, which reflects on the quality of medical products circulated in the continent, reduces the circulation of substandard or low-quality products, and enhances countries' readiness for any health emergencies that threaten their people. 

Abdel-Ghaffar affirmed that this win emphasizes Egypt’s pioneering role in Africa, especially in pharmaceutical manufacturing, and the swift development of the country’s medicine monitoring system.   

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