5th Biennial Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA V)

Under the theme “Regulatory systems in Africa: lessons from COVID-19 and strategies to build back better after the pandemic”, the fifth Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA V) will be held from the 22nd to the 23rd of November 2021. SCoMRA is a broad platform for policy makers, regulators, research community, product developers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders. SCoMRA V will bring together these key stakeholders from the continent and across the globe to reflect on progress, define priorities and set the agenda going forward. It will also provide a platform for stakeholders to share experiences about how they managed various challenges and to draw lessons that will assist in the management of future emergencies and facilitate progress in the continent’s ability to regulate medical products. This event will also provide an opportunity to re-define priorities for the African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization Initiative (AMRH), which serves as the foundation for establishment of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) as per AU Executive Council decision of January 2015.

Strengthening regulatory systems for medical products in Africa through the implementation of harmonized regulatory frameworks and application of work-sharing, reliance and capacity strengthening at national, regional, and continental levels is an integral part of health systems resilience. Health actors, institutions, and populations need to have capacity to prepare for and effectively respond to crises; maintain core functions when a crisis hits; and, be informed by lessons learned during the crisis and reorganise if need be. Ebola outbreak has been a learning point for Africa which has enabled the establishment of Africa-CDC and we see how the continent is now able to manage COVID-19 response including medical products and commodities security.