NAFDAC to host African Medicine Quality Forum

By Tobias Lengnan Dapam

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control {NAFDAC} said it volunteered to host the Third African Medicine Quality Forum (AMQF) meeting.
NAFDAC in a statement issued yesterday by Prof Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, its Director General, said the meeting will take place at the Transcorp Hilton Abuja from the 24th- – 28th February, 2020.
The AMQF was established in 2017 as a Technical Working Group of African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) that is jointly domiciled at AUDA-NEPAD and WHO, Geneva as joint secretariats.
“The goal is to build and strengthen the capacity of African countries in medicines quality control and regional post marketing surveillance which in turn, will contribute significantly to reducing sub-standard and falsified medical products in circulation in the African markets.”
AMQF is expected to drive the harmonization of Quality Control (QC) standards and practices and, ultimately the mutual recognition of QC tests among African countries.
It is a platform for a holistic continental quality control agenda that facilitates sharing of best practices, an advocacy platform to raise the national and international visibility of National Quality Control Laboratories ((NQCL)
AMQF membership is open to heads of NQCLs from all African countries and formally reports to the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) Steering Committee.
“This meeting will convene all members of the AMQF including its Technical Committee (TC), leadership from USP, AUDA-NEPAD, WHO, Regional Economic Communities (RECs), Regional Health Organizations (RHOs) as well as other partners and key stakeholders.
The meeting is sponsored by World Bank, NAFDAC, West African Health Organisation (WAHO), Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), AU-NEPAD, United States Pharmacopeia (USP) World Health Organisation (WHO) and manufacturers. The theme for this year’s meeting is “2020: perfect vision for quality of medicine in Africa”.