Africa moves to strengthen veterinary product regulation

KENYA – African regulatory authorities, livestock experts, and industry stakeholders gathered in Nairobi from 17 to 19 November 2025 to chart a unified path for veterinary product regulation across the continent. 

The consultative meeting, convened by AU-IBAR, AU-PANVAC, GALVmed, the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, and partners, aims to tackle long-standing challenges in access to quality veterinary medicines and vaccines.

In her opening address, Dr. Huyam Salih, Director of AU-IBAR, highlighted the urgency of the initiative. 

“Africa continues to lose over US$4 billion (approx. KES 688 billion) annually due to preventable animal diseases, with weak access to quality veterinary products being a major contributor,” she said. 

Dr. Salih noted that fragmented regulatory systems, slow approval processes, limited enforcement, counterfeit medicines, and inadequate cold-chain infrastructure hinder effective animal health interventions.

Harmonising standards across Africa

A key focus of the meeting was the presentation and review of the draft Terms of Reference (TORs) for the Pan-African Regulatory Authorities Network on Veterinary Products (PARAN-VPs), jointly developed by AU-IBAR and AU-PANVAC. 

The proposed network seeks to harmonise regulatory standards, enhance information sharing through interoperable systems, build national and regional capacity, and support emergency authorisation mechanisms.

According to the TORs, PARAN-VPs will operate via a Steering Committee, a Secretariat hosted at AU-IBAR, and a continent-wide membership of national regulatory authorities. 

The network is also designed to foster transparency and collaboration between regulators, industry players, and other stakeholders.

Breakout sessions during the meeting addressed practical measures to speed up registration timelines, enforce regulations against counterfeit products, align veterinary oversight with One Health and antimicrobial resistance priorities, and strengthen public-private collaboration.

Next steps towards a unified regulatory system

By the end of the three-day meeting, participants aim to reach consensus on priority elements of the TORs, the governance structure, and an implementation roadmap.

A joint communiqué outlining next steps, including political endorsement through AU structures, resource mobilisation, and establishment of the Secretariat, is expected to pave the way for full operationalisation of the Network.

Beyond regulatory harmonisation, the Nairobi consultative meeting also tackled broader issues, including vaccine production standards, regional mutual recognition processes, and improved coordination among AU institutions, regional economic communities (RECs), national authorities, and industry.

Through this initiative, AU-IBAR, in collaboration with AU-PANVAC and other partners, reaffirms its commitment to strengthening veterinary governance across Africa. 

The effort supports the implementation of the existing MoU with GAVNET, promoting preventative animal health measures and ensuring that veterinary product regulation becomes more efficient, collaborative, and responsive to the continent’s livestock health challenges.

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