Medicines for Africa · 2026
Africa Patient Safety Summit
Advancing patient safety through collective action to prevent medication-related harm.
Hosted & convened by Medicines for Africa · In partnership with the African Medicines Agency
80%
of African countries affected by substandard or falsified medicines
42%
of globally detected counterfeit medicines are found on the continent
250+
multidisciplinary delegates convening in Kigali
40+
countries represented across Africa's medicines ecosystem
Medication-related harm is no longer a technical challenge
Africa is expanding access to medicines faster than it is strengthening the systems needed to ensure those medicines remain safe, effective, and appropriately used.
Without coordinated action, the scale of preventable harm will continue to outpace regulatory, clinical, and supply chain response capacity. This Summit exists because fragmented action is no longer a viable option.
In a rural clinic, a child is treated for malaria with medicines that appear legitimate — but are substandard. The treatment fails, and a preventable condition becomes life-threatening.
This is not an isolated incident. It is a system-level signal of fragmented medicines safety protection.
Six themes, one coordinated response
Every theme addresses a different dimension of medication-related harm — patient-centred and built for real-world implementation across two days in Kigali.
1Patient-Centred Medicines Regulation
Advancing regulatory approaches that strengthen patient protection and public trust.
2Medicines Safety and Quality
Strengthening systems that ensure medicines remain safe, effective and trusted throughout their lifecycle.
3Safe and Rational Use of Medicines
Reducing medication-related harm through safer prescribing, dispensing and medicine use.
4Pharmacovigilance and Post-Market Surveillance
Improving detection, reporting and response to medicines safety concerns across the continent.
5Patients, Communities and Safety Intelligence
Positioning patients and communities as active contributors to medicines safety systems.
6Innovation, Evidence and Coordinated Action
Leveraging innovation, research and collaboration to accelerate patient safety improvements.
Leaders shaping patient safety in Africa
Regulatory leaders, ministers, and global patient-safety voices — with more to be announced.
H.E.
Dr Delese Mimi Darko
Director General
African Medicines Agency
Partners are not sponsors. They are co-builders of a continental patient safety agenda.
No institution can solve medication-related harm alone. Help shape Africa's medicines safety and regulatory agenda.
Be part of the conversation in Kigali
Together, we can move from fragmented efforts to coordinated action — and from coordinated action to measurable impact.