A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) at the Egyptian Embassy in the South African capital Pretoria.
The MoU aims at enhancing joint cooperation between the two leading African authorities on the regulatory front. It also promises Egyptian support to South Africa with Hepatitis C protocols and vaccines, given the Egyptian success story in providing high quality local alternatives in the field.
The MoU was signed by Tamer Essam, Chairman of EDA, and Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela, Chairman of SAHPRA.
Present at the signing ceremony was Ahmed al-Fadly, Egypt’s Ambassador to South Africa, who said he believes the MoU to be a major move towards facilitating trade between the two countries in the pharmaceutical sector. “Responsibility now falls upon the relevant business communities in both country, to benefit from this important development,” Mr Fadly said.
According to Dr Essam, the MoU should pave the way for developing a unified vision and an effective dialogue among African countries to exchange experiences in the field of pharmaceutical control. This, he stressed, is in accordance with Egypt’s perspective of supporting Africa.
For her part, Chairman of SAHPRA explained that the MoU is the first of its kind to be signed between the South African authority and another national regulatory body in Africa. This, she said, reflects SAHPRA’s keenness to cooperate and exchange knowledge and experiences with its African counterparts. It is very important to enhance the capacities of Africa’s regulatory authorities, she said, because this is what will ensure a tight regulatory process in the pharmaceutical sector and, accordingly, the safety and effectiveness of pharma products produced and traded in Africa.
Chairman of EDA held several meetings with senior SAHPRA officials to discuss the details of putting the MoU in action.
Watani International
10 July 2023