The Federal Government has granted approval for the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare to ratify the African Medicines Agency (AMA) treaty.
Professor Ali Pate, the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this approval during a briefing with State House correspondents. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) granted the approval during its second meeting of the year, held on Tuesday.
Pate explained that the treaty was initiated by the African Union Heads of State and Government during their 32nd meeting in Addis Ababa in February 2019.
“To date, 37 African Union member states have signed the treaty, with 26 having already ratified it. The Federal Executive Council has now directed that Nigeria ratify the treaty and take all necessary actions to implement it,” he said.
The minister highlighted that the treaty aims to strengthen the regulatory capacities of all signatory states concerning medical products.
“It will also facilitate broader access to safe, quality-assured medical services, and establish uniform standards across the continent, fostering a Pan-African regulatory framework,” he said.
The minister further explained that the treaty would expand the market for medical products manufactured in Africa, which will benefit local production and trade across member states.
FEC also approved six contracts for major diagnostic equipment, including three Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines and two CT scan machines, for various health facilities, including the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital in Akwa Ibom and the Federal Medical Centre in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Pate noted, “We are gradually building our health infrastructure, especially at teaching hospitals. People from within the region and as far as the United Kingdom and the United States are now coming to Nigeria for quality healthcare.”
He added that the transformation of Nigeria’s healthcare system was taking shape and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continuing investments in the sector.
