In her speech at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Health, Dr. Mekdes Daba, stressed that the agreement signed will help strengthen NEPAD’s footprint in Ethiopia, support health systems and improve access to safe, effective and affordable health services.
The agreement was signed by Nardos Bekele-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD; she explained that the areas of focus of the agreement include sexual and reproductive health, demographic diversity, health surveillance, product safety, vector control, pharmaceutical production, health financing and skills development in the health sector.
The signatories agreed to further enhance their partnership by strengthening comprehensive family planning and reproductive health priorities, supporting the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority, strengthening regulatory capacity, expanding pharmaco-vigilance or drug safety capabilities, enhancing the capacity to ensure the safety and efficacy of medicinal products used in Ethiopia, improving malaria control, strengthening regulatory frameworks by increasing vector control capacity, and enhancing cooperation in the health, agriculture, and environmental sectors, supporting capacity building activities that promote job creation and skills development in line with the Ethiopian health system, and supporting the capacity of the local pharmaceutical industry.
The AUDA-NEPAD High-Level Technical Delegation met with key stakeholders including the Ministry of Health, EFDA, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.