Nov
13
2025
Nov
13
2025
Kenya’s pharmacy board chief calls for urgent regulatory alignment to unlock Africa’s manufacturing potential
THE Chairman of Kenya's Pharmacy and Poisons Board has issued a powerful call for continental regulatory harmonisation, describing it as essential to unlocking Africa's potential in health product manufacturing and cross-border trade. Dr John Munyu, speaking at the opening of the 7th Biennial Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa on Tuesday, told delegates that the gathering represents more than academic discussion - it's a "continental call to action." "We are gathered here under a theme that is not just a topic for discussion, but a continental call to action: 'Regulatory Harmonization: Unlocking Africa's Potential in Health Product Manufacturing…
Nov
12
2025
Africa builds continental health infrastructure to serve 1.5 billion people
AFRICA is constructing a comprehensive health ecosystem designed to unlock local manufacturing, strengthen regulatory systems, and ensure equitable access to medical products for its 1.5 billion people, a senior development official announced at a landmark continental conference. Symerre Grey-Johnson, Director of Human Capital, Institutional and Social Development at the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), outlined ambitious progress in establishing trusted institutions and harmonised regulatory frameworks at the 7th Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII) in Mombasa, Kenya. "To secure health sovereignty and equitable access to medicines, Africa must strengthen its regulatory systems and harmonise health product…
Nov
11
2025
Africa assembles powerhouse leadership for landmark health regulation summit
AFRICA'S most influential voices in health regulation and public health have converged in Mombasa, Kenya, for the 7th Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII), signalling the continent's bold ambition to transform its pharmaceutical manufacturing landscape and achieve regulatory independence. The high-stakes summit, themed "Regulatory Harmonisation – Unlocking Africa's Potential in Health Product Manufacturing and Trade," has attracted a stellar lineup of continental and global leaders whose collective influence will shape Africa's trajectory in health product regulation for decades to come. Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Health, Aden Duale, will officiate the opening ceremony, bringing his distinguished government…
Nov
10
2025
The visionary leading Africa’s march toward health sovereignty
IN the gleaming conference halls of Addis Ababa and the bustling pharmaceutical factories emerging across Africa, a quiet revolution is taking shape. At its helm stands Dr Nardos Bekele-Thomas, a woman whose vision extends far beyond spreadsheets and policy papers—she sees a continent of 1.4 billion people finally commanding their own health destiny. As Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa's Development (AUDA-NEPAD), Dr Bekele-Thomas isn't just managing programs; she's orchestrating a continental awakening. Her mission is audacious yet achingly necessary: to break the chains of pharmaceutical dependency that have left Africa importing 61% of…
Nov
10
2025
Africa’s pharmaceutical awakening: how Mombasa conference aims to end a century of dependency
FOR more than a century, Africa has been a pharmaceutical colony - dependent on distant manufacturers for the medicines that determine whether its children survive malaria, whether its mothers live through childbirth, and whether its populations can withstand the next pandemic. This week in Mombasa, that colonial relationship faces its most significant challenge yet. The Seventh Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII), convening November 11-13 at the PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort & Spa, represents far more than another gathering of health officials and regulators. It is the crystallisation of sixteen years of painstaking institution-building, the unveiling…
Nov
08
2025
AUDA-NEPAD Chief joins global climate board in strategic win for African health security
IN a move that signals growing recognition of the inextricable link between climate adaptation and health security, the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA) has appointed Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), to its Supervisory Board. The appointment places one of Africa's most influential health and development leaders at the decision-making table of global climate governance - a strategic positioning that could reshape how adaptation financing addresses the continent's escalating health vulnerabilities. Bekele-Thomas joins a distinguished board chaired by H.E. Macky Sall, former President of Senegal, alongside Rodger Voorhies, President of the Global Growth &…
Nov
06
2025
Africa charts path to pharmaceutical self-sufficiency at landmark Mombasa conference
AFRICA'S ambitious journey toward health sovereignty reaches a critical milestone as the continent's regulatory brain trust convenes in Mombasa for the Seventh Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII), November 11-13. The high-stakes gathering brings together more than 300 policymakers, regulators, researchers, and industry leaders to forge the regulatory framework that will enable Africa to produce the majority of its own medicines, vaccines, and medical devices – a transformation deemed essential for the continent's health security and economic independence. Under the theme "Regulatory Harmonisation – Unlocking Africa's Potential in Health Product Manufacturing and Trade," the conference represents…
Sep
12
2025
AUDA-NEPAD pledges bold action to bridge Africa’s skills gap as historic Industrial Summit concludes in Zambia
THE African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) announced sweeping new commitments to transform industrial skills training across Africa as the groundbreaking Industrial Skills Week for Africa (ISWA) 2025 concluded in Lusaka, with youth voices driving unprecedented collaboration between governments, industry leaders, and development partners. Speaking to delegates from across the continent, AUDA-NEPAD CEO Nardos Bekele-Thomas delivered a stirring call to action, declaring that "Africa's industrial transformation cannot happen without transforming how we prepare our people – especially our youth – for the jobs of tomorrow." The two-day summit, themed "Powering Africa's Industrial Future: Skills for Innovation, Growth, and Sustainability," brought together…