Africa's drug regulator: from treaty to traction

What started as a pan-African treaty push is now a staffed regulator with a Kigali address and early procedures already being tested. 

The African Medicines Agency (AMA) was adopted by the African Union in 2019 and its treaty entered into force in 2021. By 2026, 31 countries had ratified it. Rwanda's capital proudly hosts AMA’s headquarters, which became operational in late 2024.

The AMA’s first director-general, Dr Delese Mimi Darko, previously led Ghana’s national medicines regulator. External support helped convert the political project into working processes. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) provided funding and technical guidance, while the World Health Organization (WHO) supported the design of pilot procedures.