Nigeria Deposits Ratification of African Medicines Agency Treaty, Becoming 34th Member State

Nigeria has deposited its instrument of ratification of the African Medicines Agency treaty, becoming the 34th African Union member state to complete the process. Businessday reported the deposit, which is intended to harmonise medicines regulation across the continent. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control is Nigeria's drug regulator and the agency that will work with the continental body.

Nigeria's Ratification and the AMA Treaty

Ambassador A. Twum-Amoah, African Union Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, announced the ratification at the inaugural African Medicines Agency Week in Kigali, Rwanda, which ended on October 30. NAFDAC Director-General Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye attended the event.

The African Medicines Agency is a specialised institution of the African Union established to strengthen the capacity of national and regional regulatory authorities and improve access to safe, effective and quality-assured medical products. Its treaty was adopted in February 2019 and entered into force on November 5, 2021, after the deposit of the 15th instrument of ratification.

According to NAFDAC, Nigeria's membership provides an opportunity to deepen collaboration with the AMA and other national and regional regulatory institutions through information sharing, scientific cooperation and regulatory capacity development. Adeyeye said the ratification reinforces Nigeria's commitment to combating falsified medical products, promoting pharmaceutical innovation and supporting local manufacturing.

"The ultimate measure of the agency's success would be its ability to improve access to safe, effective, quality-assured and affordable medicines across Africa," Adeyeye said. She stressed that the achievement must translate into practical action through sustained institutional cooperation, regulatory capacity development and effective implementation of the treaty.

The World Health Organisation and the agency signed a framework agreement in May 2026 to strengthen regulatory harmonisation, improve safety monitoring and support access to quality-assured health products. Nigeria's ratification does not automatically mean that medicines approved by NAFDAC will receive automatic approval across other African countries.

NAFDAC's Recent Enforcement Record

NAFDAC's enforcement operations in 2026 destroyed products worth N22.73bn, Punch Newspapers reported on October 26, 2026, while noting that the persistence of unsafe products raises questions about its effectiveness. On October 16, 2026, NAFDAC destroyed seized fake and substandard products valued at N2.6bn in Rivers State, including medicines, tomatoes, cookies and chemicals, Punch Newspapers reported.

On October 21, 2026, NAFDAC assured Nigerians that medical products from the US-Nigeria agreement will undergo regulatory checks, with distribution monitored via GS1 track-and-trace, THISDAYLIVE reported. On October 10, 2026, NAFDAC warned of banned pesticide misuse, seizing over N800 million in banned agrochemicals across four states in 2025, Vanguard News reported.

What Follows the Kigali Announcement

The treaty entered into force on November 5, 2021, after the deposit of the 15th instrument of ratification. The World Health Organisation and the African Medicines Agency signed a framework agreement in May 2026 covering regulatory harmonisation, safety monitoring and access to quality-assured health products. NAFDAC's own announcement is available on its website.