BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
The African Medicines Agency (AMA) and Medicines for Africa (MFA) on July 16 (2026) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen advocacy and communication on the continent’s collective response to substandard and falsified medical products.
A press release from the engagement revealed that under the agreement, AMA will leverage the expertise of MFA in advocacy and communication to support National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs) in Africa in their initiatives to combat substandard and falsified medical products.
“The African Medicines Agency was established to strengthen regulatory cooperation and improve access to safe, quality and efficacious medical products across Africa.
“Substandard and falsified medical products thrive on fragmented supply chains and regulatory oversight. By strengthening continental coordination and regulatory harmonisation on SF medical products, and combining this with the targeted public engagement that MFA leads, we will ensure that regulatory excellence translates into safer outcomes for patients and stronger public confidence in medical products” said H.E. Dr Delese Mimi Darko, Director-General of the African Medicines Agency.
It is reported that every day, millions of Africans rely on medical products to prevent disease, manage chronic conditions and save lives.
The press release added that according to the WHO, as many as one in 10 medical products in low-and middle-income countries fail quality testing. Complex and fragmented supply chains and regulatory oversight are among the drivers which create the conditions for these unsafe products to reach patients, resulting in patients at risk of potentially severe or fatal consequences and the erosion of public trust in health systems.
“No single institution can solve this challenge alone. As the continental regulatory convener, AMA is partnering with MFA, an African-led patient safety organization with a track record in advocacy and communications on substandard and falsified medical products, to ensure that safe, quality, and efficacious medical products are the standard across Africa,” further read the press release.
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Medicines for Africa, Dr Lenias Hwenda, said “this partnership reflects a shared commitment to ensuring that we put patient safety at the centre of Africa’s medicines agenda. Together with the African Medicines Agency, we will undertake joint communication and advocacy programmes and initiatives that will help in combatting the circulation of substandard and falsified medical products in Africa.”
The first joint initiative under the partnership, AMA and MFA will co-convene the Africa Patient Safety Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, from September 16 to 17, 2026. The Summit will convene governments, regulators, healthcare institutions, industry, researchers, innovators and development partners to advance collective action on patient safety and to tackle substandard and falsified medical products across the continent.
The African Medicines Agency (AMA) is a specialised agency of the African Union, established under the Treaty for the Establishment of the African Medicines Agency (adopted 2019, entered into force 2021) and headquartered in Kigali, Rwanda. AMA is mandated to improve access to quality, safe and efficacious medical products across Africa by harmonising regulatory practices, strengthening national regulatory authorities and enhancing cooperation among African Union Member States.
Medicines for Africa (MFA) is Africa’s trusted voice on medicines and patient safety. An African-led patient safety organisation headquartered in Bryanston, Johannesburg, South Africa, MFA draws on extensive experience in advocacy, stakeholder engagement and regional collaboration to raise awareness of and mobilise action against substandard and falsified medical products, in support of safer, quality-assured healthcare systems across the continent.
