By Nkechi Eze
Nigeria has become the 34th African Union (AU) Member State to ratify the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty, marking a significant milestone in efforts to strengthen medicines regulation, improve public health and promote pharmaceutical development across the continent.
The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, disclosed this in an official statement, following the announcement by the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Ambassador A. Twum-Amoah, at the inaugural African Medicines Agency Week in Kigali, Rwanda.
The event, which held from October 25 to 30, 2026, was led by the AMA Director-General, Dr. Delese Mimi Darko, and brought together representatives of medicines regulatory authorities, Regional Economic Communities, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Union and other international development partners.
NAFDAC was represented at the gathering by Adeyeye and senior directors of the agency.
Nigeria’s ratification is expected to strengthen efforts towards establishing a coordinated and harmonised regulatory framework for medicines and other medical products across Africa.
As the continent’s most populous country and one of its largest pharmaceutical markets, Nigeria’s participation reinforces its commitment to safeguarding public health, combating substandard and falsified medical products, promoting pharmaceutical innovation and advancing local manufacturing.
The development also creates opportunities for deeper cooperation between NAFDAC, the AMA and other national and regional regulatory institutions through information sharing, scientific collaboration, regulatory capacity development and coordinated implementation of the treaty.
According to Adeyeye, Nigeria’s ratification represents an important step towards expanding access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines across Africa.
She emphasised that the success of the African Medicines Agency would depend on sustained collaboration among member states and effective implementation of the treaty to strengthen the continent’s health security and pharmaceutical sector.
