AMA, Singapore Health Authority Sign MoU To Strengthen Medical Product Regulation In Africa

The African Medicines Agency (AMA) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to deepen regulatory cooperation and promote greater harmonisation of medical product regulation across Africa.

The agreement was announced by the AMA in a statement issued on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 30th International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF) in Singapore.

Under the MoU, the two regulatory bodies will work together on information sharing, technical expertise, capacity building and regulatory science and practice.

The partnership will also involve joint consultations, the exchange of technical knowledge and regulatory best practices, collaborative studies and assessments, as well as training programmes.

Commenting on the agreement, the AMA director-general, Delese Mini Darko, said, “For AMA, this MoU is about building a practical partnership between HSA and Africa’s emerging continental regulatory system. AMA works with and through National Regulatory Authorities across the continent, and this partnership gives us an opportunity to connect HSA’s experience and expertise with the wider African regulatory network—supporting stronger regulatory systems and ultimately improving access to quality-assured, safe and effective health products for African patients.”

The agency said the partnership aligns with its vision of developing a harmonised regulatory framework across the continent, where national regulators operate based on common standards.

It added that such harmonisation would help ensure that patients across Africa have access to medicines that meet consistent safety, quality and efficacy standards.

According to the AMA, the agreement also forms part of its expanding international partnerships as it strengthens its position as Africa’s continental regulatory coordinator and builds stronger links between African regulators and the global regulatory community.

The agency said greater scientific collaboration and the sharing of regulatory practices with an established international partner would further strengthen the technical capacity of Africa’s regulatory system.

The chief executive officer of HSA, Raymond Chua, said the agreement would provide a platform for further collaboration between the two institutions.

He said the agreement “provides an important foundation for future cooperation. Through this partnership, we look forward to identifying practical areas where we can share expertise, strengthen regulatory capabilities and deepen collaboration in ways that benefit patients, healthcare systems and innovators across our regions.”

Both agencies expressed expectations that the partnership would lead to closer regulatory cooperation, greater scientific exchange and stronger regulatory capacity, while supporting timely access to safe, efficacious and quality-assured medical products across their respective regions.