The West Africa Medicines Regulatory Harmonisation (WA-MRH) initiative has adopted key strategic decisions aimed at strengthening regulatory convergence and improving access to quality-assured medical products across the ECOWAS region.
The West African Health Organisation (WAHO) said this in a post on its official X account on Friday following the conclusion of the 17th WA-MRH Steering Committee Meeting held in Lomé, Togo.
According to WAHO, a major outcome of the meeting was the presentation and approval of the WA-MRH Sustainability Plan 2026–2030, designed to ensure the initiative’s long-term viability and effectiveness.
“The plan outlines measures for long-term viability through stronger political ownership, sustainable financing, and alignment with the African Medicines Agency,” the organisation stated.
WAHO said the meeting focused on strengthening regulatory convergence, improving access to quality-assured medical products and ensuring the long-term sustainability of the initiative throughout the ECOWAS region.
It added that representatives of National Medicines Regulatory Authorities from 11 ECOWAS member states attended the two-day meeting alongside regional and international partners.
According to the organisation, participants included UEMOA, the African Medicines Agency, the NEPAD Agency, the World Health Organization and experts from the West African Health Organisation.
The statement said that participants reviewed progress made since the previous steering committee meeting and assessed implementation of the initiative across participating member states.
“Discussions highlighted significant achievements through the regional joint assessment mechanism, including increased participation by local and international manufacturers and strengthened collaboration among regulatory authorities.
“Capacity-building and twinning programmes have been implemented to improve regulatory performance across the region, boosting technical skills of national regulators,” it said.
WAHO said the committee approved nine variation applications for registered medicines and adopted a regional guideline for the renewal of medicines registration across member states.
The committee also approved the initiative’s 2026 workplan, which would guide activities, priorities and implementation targets for the coming year across the region.
“Progress reports from Expert Working Groups on Medicines Registration and Medical Devices were reviewed, showing several new product dossiers and variations assessed through the regional joint assessment procedure.
“Assessments through the joint procedure are contributing to improved access to safe, effective and quality-assured medical products within the ECOWAS region.
“The Committee examined challenges including delays in obtaining regional recommendations and national marketing authorisations, limited submissions to the joint assessment procedure, and insufficient human resources for joint activities,” it said.
According to WAHO, the committee adopted several recommendations to accelerate implementation, including digitalisation of the joint assessment process to reduce timelines and improve operational efficiency.
Other recommendations include regular virtual steering committee meetings, revision of governance and regulatory frameworks, and development of a regional reliance mechanism to strengthen cooperation.
The organisation said enhanced awareness campaigns would target manufacturers and suppliers of medical products to encourage greater participation in the regional joint assessment procedure.
According to WAHO, the sustainability plan also emphasises closer alignment with the continental regulatory architecture led by the African Medicines Agency to promote a unified African regulatory system.
WAHO Director-General, Dr Melchior Aissi, reaffirmed the organisation’s strategic role in advancing harmonisation of health policies and regulatory systems across ECOWAS member states.
He said WAHO would continue supporting member states to align national policies with regional priorities and strengthen implementation of harmonised regulatory frameworks.
Aissi called for stronger collaboration among countries participating in pilot initiatives and greater institutional recognition of regional mechanisms to ensure sustainability and long-term impact.
According to him, the steering committee expressed appreciation to WAHO, member states and technical and financial partners, while reaffirming commitment to accelerating WA-MRH implementation across West Africa.
He said the initiative remained a critical instrument for safeguarding public health and advancing pharmaceutical regulatory integration throughout the ECOWAS region.
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