Despite regulatory obstacles, African pharmaceutical and manufacturing firms are meeting the urgent demand for locally made healthcare technologies and healthcare products. They can increase production capabilities by hastening the effective functioning of the African Medicines Agency (AMA).
The AMA was designated as an African Union specialized agency after fifteen countries signed the AMA Treaty in November 2021. (AU). The treaty has been ratified by Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. This figure, however, falls well short of the 55 AU Member nations and excludes several regional powerhouses, including South Africa, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Senegal.
They must act quickly to ensure that the entire continent is on board. By now, every AU member country should have signed, ratified, and deposited the AMA instruments with the AU commission. Within the next five years, the African medical sector, particularly local pharma production, is expected to be a key economic force for the area, accounting for about 2% of the pharma market in 2022.
As health-care regulations are harmonised, Africa will become a more appealing market for pharmaceutical R&D and the introduction of new innovations.