Cairo: Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty participated on Saturday, 14/2/2026, in a side event attended by several ministers and the director-general of the African Medicines Agency to discuss ways to accelerate the agency's activation and enhance its continental role. In his remarks, Abdelatty stressed that activating the African Medicines Agency reflects the shared political commitment of African nations to improve health security, ensure the quality of medicines, and support the continent's health sovereignty.

According to State Information Service Egypt, Abdelatty emphasized that achieving these goals requires collective action to build a unified continental regulatory and pharmaceutical system. He explained that the agency represents a decisive step toward transitioning to an integrated continental framework that ensures harmonized standards, strengthens confidence in the pharmaceutical system, supports local manufacturing, and expands prospects for industrial cooperation and exports beyond the continent.

He further affirmed that Egypt's pharmaceutical and manufacturing capacities are prepared to meet the continent's demand for medicines, vaccines, and plasma derivatives within a system based on unified standards and simplified registration procedures. This approach helps reduce costs and strengthens the sustainability of supply chains.

The Foreign Minister noted that the success of the agency also depends on improving the efficiency of health spending and improving market access, thereby strengthening the continent's ability to achieve self-sufficiency and respond effectively to health emergencies. He called on countries that have not yet joined the agency's membership to expedite ratification of its founding agreement, considering its activation not only a health priority but also an investment in political and social stability and in Africa's capacity to safeguard its health security and enhance its strategic independence.