Africa

In Africa, we focus on building the capacity of our members to reach out to patients’ organizations across the region and to develop a strong network that can advocate for patient-centred healthcare. IAPO’s work in Africa is driven by IAPO members and involves regular consultation with all members in the region, to ensure that we are supporting members' needs.

3rd African Regional Meeting

On 4th - 5th July 2017, 30 of IAPO’s member organizations and stakeholders, representing ten African countries, came together in Entebbe, Uganda, to attend our African Regional Meeting. The meeting culminated in delegates making a united call for a patient-centred African Medicines Agency (AMA), in which patients are meaningfully engaged.

The meeting, which was co-hosted by the International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations and the Uganda Alliance of Patients’ Organizations, saw IAPO members taking part in and actively contributing to a wide range of interactive sessions, workshops, and networking activities.

Delegates engaged in lively and fervent discussions around the on-going African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (AMRH) initiative, exchanging views and perspectives on how African patients can be feasibly and meaningfully involved in the establishment and future development of the African Medicines Agency (AMA), which is set to be launched by the end of 2018.

This was an opportunity for the community of IAPO's African members to come together and call for the establishment of a patient-centric African Medicines Agency. Delegates of the meeting drafted a joint statement - 'the Entebbe Statement' - to build consensus in making this call.

Download the Entebbe Statement.

Please see below the various documents and links :

Agenda

Presentation slides :

Overview of the African Medicines Harmonization initiative and the African Medicines Agency.

Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda (NEPAD, New Partnership for Africa's Development – South Africa)

Patient-centred priority areas from stakeholder perspectives :

David Mukanga (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation - Uganda).

John Mwangi (Bayer East Africa - Kenya)

Capacity building workshop : Building a strong network

Danjuma Adda (Centre for Initiative and Development - Nigeria)

Experience from elsewhere: How patients and consumers work with the European Medicines Agency