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African Medicines Agency set up in Kigali

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The Rwandan government and the African Union Commission (AUC) recently entered into an agreement to establish the headquarters of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) in Kigali, which is a first-ever effort. Rwanda will host the AMA’s headquarters on their territory

The Rwandan government and the African Union Commission (AUC) recently entered into an agreement to establish the headquarters of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) in Kigali, which is a first-ever effort. Rwanda will host the AMA’s headquarters on their territory.

The creation of the agency was very much in the air for long. Since 2019, there has been debate on creating such an agency to reduce Africa’s dependency on outside agencies for its pharmaceutical requirements. Presently, Africa imports close to 97% of its medicines from other countries. The agency, which has come into being will regulate and harmonize the pharma market on the continent, while encouraging local production and would take concrete steps to end the menace of counterfeit medicines.

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Analysts maintain that setting up of AMA was a major step towards building self-sufficiency in the pharma sector in the continent, though the authorities have been discussing it for quite some time. Now, the agency has the challenge to recruit the right type of people to manage the organization. Kigali is the innovation hub of Africa and is endowed with several technical institutions of repute that can take the lead in the matter.