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AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has called on African governments to accelerate the ratification of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty and harmonise medicines regulation across the continent to improve access to affordable medicines and strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
The call comes as more than 20 African Union member states are yet to ratify the treaty, which is expected to promote a coordinated regulatory system for medicines and other medical products across Africa.
AHF made the appeal during the inaugural week of the African Medicines Agency in Kigali, Rwanda, held from October 25 to 30, 2026.
The organisation said Africa’s dependence on imported medicines, coupled with fragmented regulatory systems, continued to constrain the continent’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity and efforts to achieve health sovereignty.
Africa’s pharmaceutical market is estimated at 30 billion dollars, but between 70 and 95 per cent of medicines consumed on the continent are imported. Presentations during AMA Week also highlighted a pharmaceutical trade deficit of approximately 12.5 billion dollars in 2020.
According to figures presented during the event, 33 African Union member states had ratified the AMA Treaty as of October 2026.
AHF Executive Vice President, Penninah Lutung, said the continent could not achieve health sovereignty while relying heavily on imported medicines and remaining vulnerable to disruptions in global supply chains.
“Africa cannot achieve health sovereignty while remaining heavily dependent on imported medicines and vulnerable to disruptions in global supply chains. We commend AMA for taking this bold step towards a more coordinated regulatory environment,” Lutung said.
She urged African governments to move beyond political commitments and take practical steps towards establishing a unified regulatory framework. “We must now translate political commitments into action,” she added.
Discussions during AMA Week also highlighted regulatory challenges confronting local pharmaceutical manufacturers.
About 80 per cent of manufacturers who participated in the discussions identified unpredictable regulatory review and approval timelines as a major challenge, while 77 per cent cited differing regulatory requirements across African countries.
Another 54 per cent pointed to duplicated submissions, assessments and inspections.
AHF said these challenges increase production costs, delay access to medicines and discourage investment in local pharmaceutical manufacturing.
It noted that harmonised regulatory requirements, predictable approval timelines, shared assessments and stronger collaboration among national regulatory authorities could enable manufacturers to serve multiple African markets more efficiently.
The Executive Director of the AHF Global Public Health Institute, Dr Jorge Saavedra, said the establishment of the African Medicines Agency represented an investment in the continent’s collective capacity to protect public health and influence the future of global health.
He stressed that regulatory harmonisation should be accompanied by technology transfer, research and development, and stronger African scientific institutions.
“Regulatory harmonisation must go hand in hand with technology transfer, research and development, and the strengthening of African scientific institutions,” Saavedra said.
He added that Africa’s health sovereignty must move from aspiration to implementation, describing a strong African Medicines Agency as an important part of that process.
AHF expressed readiness to work with African governments, the AMA, scientists, universities, civil society organisations and industry stakeholders to support the development of a resilient and self-reliant African health system.
The African Medicines Agency is expected to strengthen regulatory coordination among African countries and support access to safe, effective and quality-assured medical products.
