East Africa Health and Trade Conference
Thursday, 24 February, 2022
CHReaD, in collaboration with AU-ECOSOCC Kenya and KANCO, organized a regional conference whose theme was catalyzing the African economy by unlocking the potential of the Africa Free Trade Area and Intra- trade in Africa through Health, Research and Development.
The COVID-19 epidemic has shown us that health is at the heart of development. Governments must strengthen the health research and development (R&D) ecosystem to deliver quality and suitable healthcare to Africa’ people.
The African Union (AU) has produced the Health Research and Innovation Strategy for Africa (HRISA), which lays out defined goals and priorities for health research and development, and established the Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Strategy for Africa (PMPA), which includes a detailed business plan. At the same time, efforts are ongoing to strengthen the regulatory systems for medical products by establishing the Africa Medicines Agency (AMA). The conference provided a valuable platform for effective dialogue between ministries of health, trade, industry, and non-state actors to unlock the opportunities presented by Africa’s underdeveloped health R&D landscape, which will eventually lead to a strong manufacturing ecosystem and harmonized regulatory systems.
Amref Health Africa teams up with African communities to create lasting health change.
