The candidacy of Algeria to host the headquarters of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) arrives with that of Rwanda among the first two in the ranking, announced Friday a press release from the Ministry of Pharmaceutical Industry.

  The conclusions of the work report of the First Conference of States Parties to the Treaty establishing the African Medicines Agency (AMA), held from June 1 to 3 in Addis Ababa, show that Algeria’s candidacy arrives with  that of Rwanda among the first two in the ranking, announced the ministry, specifying that Algeria thus exceeds in the ranking Tunisia, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Tanzania and Egypt.

  The headquarters of the African Medicines Agency (AMA) will be determined next July, during the Executive Council bringing together the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the African Union (AU).

  The AU Executive Council will have to choose from a shortlist of the best candidates in accordance with the recommendations of the Conference of States Parties.

  The work of this meeting was attributed to the adoption of the rules of procedure of the African Medicines Agency and the examination of the reports of the evaluation missions carried out in the eight African candidate countries to host the headquarters of this important continental Agency, explains the same source.

  “Strengthened by its institutional, regulatory and human resources and the unprecedented development of its pharmaceutical industry, but also by the guarantees offered to AMA, in application of the instructions and the program of the President of the Republic, the candidacy of Algeria appears  as now favorite to host the headquarters of this Agency”, underlines the press release.

  Led by the Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry, Abderrahmane Djamel Lotfi Benbahmed, and assisted by the Algerian diplomatic representation in Addis Ababa, the Algerian delegation welcomed the conclusion of the work while reaffirming the strategic importance of this agency  in strengthening the capacities of States Parties and pooling African resources and expertise for the development of pharmaceutical production for  ensuring the health sovereignty of the continent, adds the press release