AUDA-NEPAD hands over key Health Security Programmes to African Medicines Agency in landmark continental transition

January 23, 2026 – Lusaka

Africa’s journey toward stronger health security and regulatory self-reliance reached a historic milestone this week as the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) formally handed over two flagship continental health programmes to the African Medicines Agency (AMA), FRANCIS LUNGU reports.

The transition was sealed during a high-level Joint Formal Handover Session held in Lusaka from January 22 to 23, marking the transfer of the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) programme and the African Union Smart Safety Surveillance (AU-3S) initiative to the newly operational AMA.

The handover concludes more than 17 years of institution-building by AUDA-NEPAD and represents a decisive step in strengthening Africa’s capacity to regulate medicines and medical products.

It involved the transfer of regulatory assets, systems, processes, and technical resources developed over nearly two decades to ensure a smooth, seamless, and non-disruptive assumption of responsibilities by the AMA.

Speaking at the event, AUDA-NEPAD Chief Executive Officer H.E. Nardos Bekele-Thomas described the milestone as a reflection of the agency’s core mandate to build sustainable continental institutions.

“This milestone underscores our responsibility as the African Union’s premier continental development agency to ensure that AMA is fully capacitated to discharge its regulatory responsibilities,” she said.

“AMA is anchored in the strong legacy of our flagship health programmes—AMRH, launched in 2009, and AU-3S, launched in 2020—which have served as the bedrock for safeguarding public health and ensuring access to quality medical products across Africa.”

The AMRH programme has played a central role in harmonising medicines regulation across regional economic communities, while AU-3S strengthened pharmacovigilance and safety surveillance systems.

Their integration into AMA is expected to significantly enhance Africa’s ability to guarantee access to safe, effective, and high-quality medicines.

The Lusaka session brought together senior leadership from across the African Union system, including representatives of the African Union Commission, the Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, the Director Generals of Africa CDC and AMA, and the Government of Rwanda, the host country of the AMA.

The transition also highlights AUDA-NEPAD’s broader institutional legacy, having previously supported the establishment of key continental bodies such as the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Smart Africa, SANBio, and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC).

As the African Union’s development delivery arm for Agenda 2063 and the Short-Term Strategy and Implementation Plan (STYIP), AUDA-NEPAD reaffirmed its commitment to building specialised institutions that advance Africa’s long-term development goals in partnership with member states and strategic partners.

The successful handover of AMRH and AU-3S to AMA signals a new chapter for African health governance, reinforcing the continent’s resolve to act collectively “as one family under the African Union” and accelerate progress toward the aspirations of Agenda 2063.

The African Medicines Agency is the African Union’s continental body mandated to regulate medicines and medical products, ensuring that all products used across Africa meet agreed standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness.

AMA, therefore is an important body for Africa which faces a high level of imported counterfeited medicine, putting at risk the health of 1.4billion citizens of the continent.