While regulatory systems are essential for good health care because they ensure speedy access to safe, high quality and effective medicines, these systems however need be strengthened and harmonized in West Africa.

This subject is at the core of a five-day meeting, which opened today at the Laico Hotel, in Ouagadougou. In attendance were around forty participants drawn from the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU), the NEPAD Agency, Heads of National Medicines Regulatory Authorities (NMRAs) and other Partners.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Carlos Brito, the Acting Director of the Department for Disease & Epidemic Control at WAHO reminded the participants that though appreciable progress has been made in the past, the meeting has been informed by a special reason.  “ It is in recognizance of the need to align positions on the procedures to register medicines that UEMOA and WAHO have decided to come together in order to avoid duplication of efforts and use scarce resources more judiciously”

In the course of the past five years, there has been divergent views and duplication of efforts by WAHO and WAEMU on issues pertaining to medicines registration harmonization in the region. However, there is recognition that these efforts need new focus.

Prof Aggrey Ambali from NEPAD and Mrs Sybil Ossei Agyeman Yeboah from WAHO, during the opening ceremony

Expressing his agency’s delight in networking with the West African region, Prof. Aggrey Ambali, Advisor and Head of NEPAD’s Science Technology and Innovation Hub said that “ the efforts begun since 2009 are now yielding fruits thus putting paid to the key challenge of operating two types of systems for the registration of medicines in the West African region.”

WAEMU’s Director of Human Development, Dr Corneille Traore thanked WAHO, NEPAD, the World Bank and WHO for having made this the meeting possible and expressed his organization commitment to reaching a consensus on the harmonization programme in our sub-region.  “We will give our best to make this happen and I enjoin my WAEMU colleagues to make themselves available to ensure a success of this meeting” he added.

Representatives from the World Bank, WAHO, WAEMU, NEPAD and WHO chairing the opening ceremony

Declaring open the meeting, Mrs. Mercy Tembon, the World Bank Country Representative for Burkina Faso said apart from the guarantee of a large African market for the regional industry, such an initiative also supports the pharmaceutical plan for Africa. “This initiative brings faster access to new products by patients who will benefit from them and finally, the division of labour allows for more efficient use of national resources.” She concluded.

A tangible outcome of the April 2014 meeting held in Bobo-Dioulasso between WAHO and WAEMU with NEPAD and other partners’ support, is the Shared Regional Governance Mechanism for West African Medicines Regulation Harmonization (SRGMRH) project.

These are exciting developments that portend an auspicious new direction for the West African region. The NEPAD Agency will continue its active support to WAHO and WAEMU with partners to make the Shared Regional Governance Mechanism for West African Medicines Regulation Harmonization (SRGMRH) project a success.