Thursday, 13 May 2021: The Republic of Guinea becomes the seventh member state of the African Union, (AU), to deposit the instrument of ratification of the African Medicines Agency, (AMA).

The Republic of Guinea ratified the Treaty for the establishment of AMA on 21 April 2021 in Conakry, Guinea, and deposited the instrument of accession, to the Commission of the African Union on 7th May 2021 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The AU Director, Department of Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Cisse Mariam Mohamed received the instrument of ratification from the Guinea delegation.

AMA is the second specialized continental health agency after the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)

Speaking during the official deposit of the instrument, the Ambassador of the Republic of Guinea to Ethiopia and the African Union H.E. Gaoussou Toure noted that Guinea was delighted to be part of AMA adding that they would advocate for the signing and ratification of the AMA Treaty among other member states in West Africa region.

In the face of a looming pandemic, the necessity of AMA has been amplified and particularly its function in coordinating joint reviews of applications for the conducting of clinical trials and providing technical support in quality control of drugs at the request of Member States which do not have the structures to carry out these examinations/controls/checks.

In addition, AMA will promote the adoption and harmonization of medical products regulatory policies and standards, as well as scientific guidelines, and coordinate existing regulatory harmonization efforts in the Regional Economic Communities, (RECs), and Regional Health Organizations, (RHOs).

The Commission encourages all its Member States to sign and ratify the Treaty for the establishment of AMA in the interest of public health, safety and security. The Treaty is available for signature at the Headquarters of the Commission in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The African Medicines Agency will enter into force once ratified by fifteen African Union Member States.