Theme: Strengthening regulatory systems for the advancement of local production and increased access to medical products and technologies for Africans.

The conference will provide a forum to share scientific advances and current best practices in regulatory science disciplines with the aim to strengthen the regulatory system, improve access to affordable essential medical products, vaccines and technologies, and catalyse local production of medical products in Africa.  Participants will also deliberate on actions for sustaining the momentum for regulatory systems strengthening and harmonisation in Africa.

The theme of the sixth SCoMA builds on the outcomes of the first to the fifth Biennial Scientific Conference on Medical Products Regulation in Africa jointly organized by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The scientific conference will bring together more than 300 participants from African National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), policymakers, academia, scientific community, private sector, civil society and development partners in health and pharmaceutical sectors.

The Sixth Biennial SCoMRA will specifically achieve the following objectives:

• Provide a forum to share scientific advances and current best practices in the regulatory science disciplines amongst regulators, industry, scientists, academia and policymakers.
• Share progress in regional and continental harmonisation and the advancement of Africa’s regulatory ecosystems in the era of the African Medicines Agency (AMA).
• Identify actions towards the creation of an enabling environment for local production of medical products and technologies through regulatory systems strengthening and harmonisation.
• Facilitate collaboration and networking among stakeholders, including regulators, policymakers, academia, the scientific community, the private sector, and civil society.
• Identify best practices and models of linking regulation to local production, pooled procurement and entire value chain.

The conference will be structured in the following sub-themes:

Theme I: Substandard & falsified medicines: what is Africa doing to combat the scourge?

Theme II: The future of medical products regulation and harmonisation in the AMA era

Theme Ill: Advancing local production of medical products for Africa through the creation of an enabling regulatory environment

Theme IV: Linking regulation to local manufacturing and procurement

Theme V: Digitalization for advancing regulation of medical products in Africa.

Deadline for Abstracts: 02 October 2023 | Information of Acceptance: 13 October 2023 | Submission of Full Paper: 30 November 2023 | Submission of PowerPoint presentation: 17 November 2023