President Paul Kagame has applauded the progress made towards establishing the African Medicines Agency (AMA), maintaining that its launch is crucial in strengthening national medical products regulatory systems.

Kagame was speaking on Monday, December 6, in a meeting that brought global leaders to review the ‘progress made so far on implementing the partnerships for vaccine manufacturing in Africa’.

"One of the most important developments since our last meeting is the entry into force of the new African Medicines Agency,” he said.

AMA is a specialised agency of the African Union (AU) intended to facilitate the harmonisation of medical products regulation throughout the AU in order to improve access to quality, safe and efficacious medical products on the continent.

Currently, 17 member states including Rwanda have ratified the treaty establishing the continental agency and deposited the legal instrument of ratification to the Commission. In total, 26 member states had assented to the treaty.

"It is essential to maintain the momentum and fully establish this agency, without which Africa cannot independently authorise and regulate medicines and vaccines,” he added.

Kagame also issued a rallying call to the leaders to among others accelerate Africa’s vaccine manufacturing industry.

The observation comes at a time when only less than 6 per cent of Africans are vaccinated against Covid-19 compared to some 60 per cent in the developed world.

He said that Africa’s challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic in securing timely access to tests, therapeutics, and vaccines, have further served as a constant reminder that we need to be doing things for ourselves.

"This joint effort has helped to prevent Africa from being, yet again, an afterthought. But we still have a lot of work to do.”

"Africa must therefore build manufacturing and scientific capacity with a sense of urgency. We can and must do something new and different.”

A global enterprise

The Head of State underscored that ‘doing things for ourselves’ does not necessarily mean acting alone.

"Vaccine research and production is fundamentally a global enterprise. We therefore have to work in partnership with each other, as Africa, and also with key partners around the world.”

The challenge, he said, requires not only funding, but also, and even more importantly, trust.

"Producing vaccines on our continent is also an opportunity for trade and investment,” he stated, observing that the presence of the Secretary-General of the new African Continental Free Trade Area Secretariat, at the meeting was ‘so crucial’.

Rwanda and Senegal have concluded agreements with BioNTech to begin the end-to-end production of mRNA vaccines as early as next year.

Several government initiatives and funding options have contributed to supporting Rwanda’s current status of inoculating 40 per cent of her population as of today.

The momentum doesn’t appear to be waning anytime soon, especially as the government extends its vaccination rollout to children aged above 12 in schools.

Kagame observed that these and other initiatives underway in various countries are evidence of a strong momentum, which must be supported and sustained.

"Because of this terrible pandemic, an opportunity has been created to fundamentally change the pharmaceutical production landscape on our continent.”

"This window will not stay open forever. Now is the time to act, decisively and quickly, together, as Africa, and also globally,” he added. 

The targets

Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission told participants that Africa seeks to develop, produce and supply over 60 per cent of needed vaccines on the continent by 2040.

Nsanzabaganwa also disclosed that the tentative goal was to produce 10 per cent by 2025 and 30 per cent by 2030.

If achieved, she added, the number could be up from today's one percent.

She highlighted that among the key interventions, there is a need to develop a sustainable vaccine manufacturing industry.

"Africa needs a more holistic public health approach to safeguard the health and economic security of our continent as it strives to meet aspirations of the agenda 2063 for Africa. This will require collaboration beyond national boundaries,” Nsanzabaganwa reiterated.