All is set for the seventh Biennial Scientific Conference on
Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII).
The conference will be hosted by the Kenya Government, in collaboration
with the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Union Development
Agency—NEPAD (AUDA—NEPAD), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other
partners.
The three-day conference is scheduled to take place from November
11 to 13, 2025, at the Pridelnn Paradise Beach Resort & Spa in Mombasa.
It will be held under the theme, ‘Regulatory harmonisation:
Unlocking Africa’s potential in health product manufacturing and trade’.
According to the Pharmacy and Poisons Board Acting CEO Dr
Ahmed Mohamed, the conference is expected to bring together policymakers,
regulators, researchers, academia, manufacturers, and development partners from
across Africa and globally.
“The aim is to discuss advances in regulatory science and
reflect on Africa’s progress in strengthening and harmonising medical product
regulation,” Mohamed said in a statement on Thursday.
“SCoMRA VII provides a unique platform to assess progress in
regulatory systems strengthening, explore how the emerging AMA can accelerate
access to quality-assured medical products, and advance Africa’s health
security through enhanced local manufacturing and trade under the African Continental Free
Trade Area (AfCPTA).”
The three-day conference will feature plenary and para11e1
sessions covering topics such as strengthening harmonised regulatory oversight
and leveraging local manufacturing and the the role of African Medicines Agency
(AMA) and regional initiatives in advancing pooled procurement and
intra-African trade.
Digitalisation, innovation and Artificial Intelligence in
regulatory systems as well as emergency preparedness and regulation of medical
devices and diagnostics and greening Africa’s pharmaceutical manufacturing
ecosystem will also be discussed.
Since the establishment of the African Medicines Regulatory
Harmonization (AMRH) initiative in 2009, significant progress has been made in
aligning regulatory standards and strengthening National Regulatory Authorities
across Africa’s Regional Economic Communities.
These efforts laid the foundation for the AMA, whose Treaty
came into force in 2021 and is currently being operationalised in Kigali,
Rwanda.
At the end of the conference, the expected outcomes include strengthening collaboration among regulatory
authorities and stakeholders.
The conference is also expected to define strategic actions
to support local manufacturing and pooled procurement, promote innovation and
digital transformation in regulatory systems and shape a shared vision for the
future of medical products regulation in Africa under AMA.
“Participants will include National Medicines Regulatory
Authorities (NMRAs), African Union agencies, Regional Economic Communities,
academic institutions, researchers, civil society organisations, the private
sector, and international partners,” Mohamed said.