KIGALI, Oct. 28 — The African Medicines Agency (AMA), a specialized agency of the African Union, inaugurated its technical committees on Tuesday in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, a new step toward harmonizing regulations for medicines and other medical products across the continent.
The seven expert committees, each composed of nine members, are tasked with reviewing the scientific evidence in applications for medical products, including medicines, vaccines and diagnostics, for clinical trials and with giving AMA independent scientific advice.
“With the inauguration of our technical committees, we are building an African regulatory institution that belongs to Africa, serves Africa and contributes confidently to the world,” Delese Mimi Darko, the director-general of AMA, said during the event.
“These experts bring the scientific rigor that underpins our work, in support of regulators across the continent and the patients who depend on them,” added Darko. According to AMA, the committees would support the agency’s work with national regulators to improve access to quality, safe and effective medical products for patients across Africa.
Their scope of work includes the evaluation of medicines, vaccines, clinical trials oversight, as well as making recommendations to guide the work of the various regulatory authorities in the agency’s member countries.
The inauguration was part of the Inaugural AMA Week which runs from Oct. 25 to 30 in Kigali. Other activities include the launch of two AMA Hubs and the 11th African Medicines Regulators Conference, co-convened with the World Health Organization. AMA has been operational since October 2025 and is headquartered in Kigali. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
