By Dorothy Musyoka
The Chairperson of the Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB), Dr. John Munyu, MBS, has urged Africa to deepen collaboration in medical-products regulation to advance local manufacturing and reduce its reliance on imports.
“Africa must strengthen collaboration in medical-products regulation to boost local manufacturing and reduce dependence on imports,” stated Dr.Munyu.
Speaking during his welcome remarks at the 7th Biennial Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA VII) in Mombasa, Dr. Munyu underscored that this year’s theme “Regulatory Harmonisation: Unlocking Africa’s Potential in Health Product Manufacturing and Trade” is a continental call to action rather than a topic for discussion alone.
“Africa imports over 90 percent of its medicines and produces less than one percent of its vaccines. This is not just a statistic; it reflects our dependence and vulnerability, which the COVID-19 pandemic painfully exposed,” he said.
Dr. Munyu highlighted that recent health emergencies, including the 2024 Monkeypox outbreak declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security by the Africa CDC, demonstrated the urgent need for coordinated, responsive, and resilient regulatory systems across the continent.
He noted that the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (AMRH) programme has over the past decade made significant progress by aligning regulatory guidelines, promoting reliance systems, and accelerating digital transformation.
Dr. Munyu described the agency as a cornerstone of Africa’s shared aspirations for health security, independence, and manufacturing capacity.
“SCoMRA VII is not merely a conference; it is a strategic platform to make this vision real — to catalyse local manufacturing, support intra-African trade under AfCFTA, and ensure that quality, safe, and effective medical products reach every African,” he added.
According to the PPB Chair, over the next three days the conference will focus on:
- Strengthening regulatory oversight to attract manufacturing investment
- Advancing pooled procurement, harnessing innovation and artificial intelligence
- Deepening partnerships between governments, industry, researchers and civil society.
Dr. Munyu also acknowledged the continued support of key development partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), CEPI, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, German Cooperation (GIZ), and the Africa Public Health Foundation, in advancing regulatory capacity across the continent.