AU Appoints Dr. Darko as Director-General for African Medicines Agency

Addis Ababa: The African Union (AU) announced the appointment of the first Director-General for the African Medicines Agency (AMA). The AMA Treaty was adopted by the AU Assembly on 11 February 2019 as a Specialized Agency of the African Union with the main objective of improving access to quality, safe, and efficacious medical products in Africa.

According to Ethiopian News Agency, one of the major missions of the Agency is to support the growth of local pharmaceutical production, a key objective of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plan for Africa (PMPA). It will further play a critical role in catalyzing trade in support of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). As Africa continues its journey toward achieving the Agenda 2063 goals, the operationalization of AMA marks a transformative milestone.

Dr. Delese Mimi Darko has been appointed as the first Director-General of this continental specialized agency. She is known for her leadership as the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and is expected to bring experience and a track record in regulatory excellence to her new role. Her appointment signifies a step forward in strengthening regulatory oversight, promoting access to quality, safe, and efficacious medicines, and fostering pharmaceutical innovation across Africa.

AMA will accelerate efforts to strengthen health regulatory systems and ensure access to safe, quality-assured medical products for all Africans. The Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), Nardos Bekele-Thomas, emphasized that the establishment of AMA is not happening in isolation but stands on the shoulders of over a decade of work led by the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) initiative under AUDA-NEPAD.

According to the CEO, AMA’s success will be a collective one, and AUDA-NEPAD looks forward to continued collaboration toward a stronger, safer, and healthier Africa.