Nigeria Ratifies African Medicines Agency Treaty

Nigeria has deposited its instrument of ratification of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) treaty, becoming the 34th member state of the African Union to do so.

The ratification was announced by the African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Ambassador A. Twum-Amoah, at the inaugural African Medicines Agency Week holding in Kigali, Rwanda, from October 25 to 30, 2026.

The meeting is being attended by medicines regulatory agencies across the continent, representatives of Regional Economic Communities, the World Health Organisation, the European Union and other development partners.

Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said Nigeria’s ratification, as Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest pharmaceutical markets, will strengthen efforts to build a more coordinated and harmonised regulatory environment for medicines and medical products on the continent.

She said the development reinforces Nigeria’s commitment to protecting public health, tackling substandard and falsified medical products, promoting pharmaceutical innovation and advancing local manufacturing as part of health security and economic development.

According to her, the ratification provides an opportunity to deepen collaboration between NAFDAC, AMA and other national and regional regulatory institutions in pursuit of continental health objectives.

She added that Nigeria’s participation should translate into practical action through institutional collaboration, regulatory capacity development, information sharing, scientific cooperation and effective implementation of the treaty.

She noted that the success of AMA will be measured by its ability to ensure that Africans have access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines, driven by the maturity of national regulatory agencies.

“Nigeria’s ratification is not merely a diplomatic or legal achievement; it is a significant investment in Africa’s health security, pharmaceutical sovereignty and sustainable development,” she said.