Nigeria has deposited its instrument of ratification of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) Treaty, becoming the 34th African Union (AU) Member State to do so.

The announcement was made by the AU Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Ambassador A. Twum-Amoah, at the inaugural African Medicines Agency Week in Kigali, Rwanda, which runs from 25 to 30 October 2026.

The event, led by AMA Director-General Dr Delese Mimi Darko, brought together representatives of medicines regulatory authorities, Regional Economic Communities, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Union and other international development partners.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is represented at the event by its Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, alongside senior directors of the agency.

In a statement, NAFDAC said Nigeria’s ratification marks a significant step towards strengthening medicines regulation, public health and pharmaceutical development across Africa.

As Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest pharmaceutical markets, Nigeria’s decision strengthens the continent’s drive for a more coordinated and harmonised regulatory framework for medicines and other medical products, the agency said.

It added that the move reinforces Nigeria’s commitment to protecting public health, combating substandard and falsified medical products, promoting pharmaceutical innovation and advancing local manufacturing as a foundation for health security and economic development.

NAFDAC also said the development offers an opportunity to deepen cooperation between the agency, the AMA and national and regional regulatory institutions.

This will be pursued through information sharing, scientific collaboration, regulatory capacity development and coordinated implementation of the AMA Treaty.

“Nigeria’s ratification is an important step towards advancing access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines across Africa,” the statement, signed by Prof. Adeyeye, said.

It stressed that the success of the AMA will depend on sustained collaboration among member states and effective implementation of the Treaty to strengthen the continent’s health security and pharmaceutical sector.