The African Medicines Agency Vision and Strategy for the African Continent

Philippe Lamoureux

Director General of Leem

Holder of a master's degree in economics and a master's degree in private law, Philippe Lamoureux graduated from the National School of Administration, class of 1989.
Philippe Lamoureux began his career as Inspector General of Social Affairs, then technical advisor to the cabinet of Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Health and Humanitarian Action (1992).
From 1993, he worked within the Medicines Agency and became its Secretary General in 1997. Technical advisor to the cabinet of Martine Aubry, Minister of Employment and Solidarity from 1998 to 2001 then Deputy Director of the Cabinet by Bernard Kouchner, Minister for Health, from 2001 to 2002. He took charge of the National Institute for Prevention and Education for Health, before being appointed in 2008 Director General of Leem.

Greg Perry

Deputy Director General, IFPMA

Greg Perry joined IFPMA in 2018 and has responsibility for IFPMA’s external outreach and stakeholder engagement in global health topics including innovation, access, and the international regulatory environment.

Prior to joining IFPMA, Greg worked as Executive Director of the Medicines Patent Pool, and as Director General of the European Generic Medicines Association in Brussels. Previously, he worked as a partner in a UK public affairs company as a European Union policy advisor to corporate and NGOs, and before that as a Parliamentary Advisor to EU Parliament members. Greg is a Member of the Advisory Council of the Organization for Professionals in Regulatory Affairs (TOPRA) and is a former member of the Standing Advisory Committee before the European Patent Office (SACEPO). Greg also holds the Golden Cross of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

Kawaldip Sehmi

Chief Executive Officer, IAPO

Kawaldip oversees the strategy and direction of IAPO. He joins with extensive public health experience at national and international level. Kawaldip previously held the position of CEO at Richmond Psychosocial Foundation International and worked as Managing Director of Coram Children’s Legal Centre. He has European and international public health experience as Director of the Global Health Inequalities Programme and as Chairman of the European Network of Quitlines. Kawaldip’s qualifications include an MSc in the Public Health International Programme from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an MBA in Business Administration from the London Business School and Open University, and an LLB (Hons) from the London College of Law.

Michel Sidibé

Special Envoy from African Union for the establishment of the African Medicine Agency

Holder of university degrees in economics, international development and social planning, in 1982 Michel Sidibé became director for Mali of the NGO Terre des Hommes Foundation, then in 1987 directed a UNICEF program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

He joined UNAIDS in 2001, first as Director of the Country and Regional Support Department, then as Deputy Executive Director of Programs at UNAIDS and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations. He became Executive Director of UNAIDS in 2007, before being appointed Minister of Health and Social Affairs of Mali in May 2019.
He was appointed in 2021 "Special Envoy" of the African Union for the establishment of the African Medicines Agency.

Pr. Moustafa MIJIYAWA

Minister of Health and Public Hygiene of Togo

Minister of Health and Public Hygiene of Togo since June 2015. Professor of rheumatology, Professor Moustafa MIJIYAWA has more than 30 years of experience in patient care, medical education, physiotherapy, prostheses and orthoses in Togo and in the international
He was elected Chairman of the Africa CDC Board of Directors for a three-year term on December 2, 2019.

Dr. Lotfi Benbahmed

Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry, Algeria

Dr Benbahmed worked between 1996 and 2019 as Director and Technical Director of the Pharmaceutical Corporation, he is also President of the National Council of the Order of Pharmacists since 1996 and President of the Inter-Order of Pharmacists of Africa since 2018. He was appointed to the post of Minister of Pharmaceutical Industry on January 23, 2020.

Dr. Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda

Minister of Health, Hygiene and Prevention, Democratic Republic of Congo

Dr Jean-Jacques Mbungani is a Congolese doctor, graduated from the Free University of Belgium. Career general practitioner, Former consul general of the DRC in Belgium, militant of the movement for the Liberation of Congo, MLC, of Jean-Pierre Bemba, of whom he is until now National Secretary for External Affairs.
Doctor Mbungani was appointed Minister of Health, Hygiene and Prevention in April 2021. For his mandate, the new Minister of Health is facing several challenges including in particular the Covid-19 pandemic, the twelfth epidemic Ebola raging in eastern DRC, the Measles epidemic, which has been gaining ground again since January 2021.

Dr Hala Zayed

Minister of Health of Egypt

Dr Hala Zayed is the second female Minister in the history of the Ministry of Health since its inception in 1937. Prior to her appointment to cabinet, Dr Zayed worked as President of the Academy of Health Sciences, Chair of the Committee Supreme for Fight against Corruption at the Ministry of Health and advisor to the Minister of Health and Population.
Dr Zayed has held other positions such as Director General of the General Department of Hospitals of the Ministry's Medical Therapy Sector, Head of the Central Administration for Surveillance and Monitoring of the New Health System and Head of grants department. and loans to the ministry. She holds a doctorate and a master's degree in business administration from the Arab Academy of Sciences and Technology.

Dr Arlindo Nascimento do Rosário

Minister of Health of Cabo Verde

Arlindo Nascimento do Rosário was born on December 9, 1961, in Sal Island (Cabo Verde). He holds a degree in Medicine by the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal) with a Specialization in General Pediatrics from the Escola Paulista de Medicina, (Federal University of São Paulo-Brazil).
He was a general practitioner at the Ribeira Grande Health Police Station from 1989 to 1994, Pediatrician at the Santo Antão Regional Hospital since 1997, President of the Discipline Council of the Order of the Doctors of Cabo Verde Doctors, Health Delegate and Director of the Regional Hospital of Santo Antão, from 2001 to 2011. Also, he was Member of the Team of Supervisors of the General Directorate of Health and Member of the National Medicines Commission and currently he is the Minister of Health and Social Security of Cabo Verde.

Emer Cooke

Executive Director, European Medicine Agency

Emer Cooke is as of 16 November 2020 the new Executive Director of the European Medicines Agency, based in Amsterdam. She also takes the role of Chair of the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) for a term of 2 years.
She was the Director responsible for all medical product-related regulatory activities at the WHO in Geneva between November 2016 and November 2020. In this role, Ms Cooke was responsible for leading WHO's global work on regulation of health technologies (medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, vector control products and devices), coordinating the regulatory teams (Prequalification, Regulatory Systems Strengthening, and Safety), and working with member states and international partners to assure the quality, safety and efficacy of appropriate health technologies.

Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda

Head of Health Programs: AUDA-NEPAD

Margareth Ndomondo-Sigonda, M.Sc., M.B.A., is Pharmaceutical Coordinator, African Union-NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency. Ms. Ndomondo-Sigonda served as Director General of the Tanzania Food and Drugs Authority for 7 years and Registrar of the Tanzanian Pharmacy Board for 5 years before that. She has been involved in medicines regulation harmonization initiatives in Southern Africa Development Community and EAC. She has consulted for WHO on assessment of medicines regulatory systems in Sudan, Egypt, Kenya, Zambia, CARICOM member states, and the Dominican Republic. Ms. Ndomondo-Sigonda has also been a consultant for assessment of medicines regulatory systems in Zambia, Sudan, Egypt, and Kenya. She now works as a Pharmaceutical Coordinator for the African Union-NEPAD. Ms. Ndomondo-Sigonda is responsible for coordinating the pharmaceutical development programs, including the AMRH initiative. She holds a master’s degree in pharmaceutical services from University of Bradford in the United Kingdom, an M.B.A. from Maastricht School of Management in the Netherlands, and a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Dar es Salaam.

Bisi Bright

Board Member, International Alliance of Patients’ Organization

Bisi Bright is a Consultant Clinical Pharmacist, Lecturer and Public Health Manager. She is 1st Vice Chairman and CEO of LiveWell Initiative LWI, a self-sustaining nonprofit healthcare organization which has impacted almost 2 million Nigerian patients.
Bisi is very passionate about patient care and advocacy. She is a very active member of IAPO, having served as a Regional Steering Committee Member of IAPO Africa and having worked with several patients across the spectrum of care. Bisi is Deputy National Coordinator of the National Hepatitis Coalition in Nigeria, and a two-time International Award winner of the IATDM/CT and other awards.

Dr Karim Bendhaou

Head of Africa Bureau, Merck group and IFPMA Africa Engagement Committee Chair

Dr. Karim Bendhaou (MD, MBA) previously served as President of North and West Africa operations (40 countries of Africa) for Merck for over 18 years and now heads the Africa Bureau and coordinates all of Merck's corporate, strategic and executive decisions in Africa. A real pioneer, he has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for almost 22 years, building up strong pan-African organizations, gaining extensive experience in biotech medicines and biosimilars, and leading a successful enterprise; all the while keeping the patient in mind and increasing the commitment of the organization to the SDG’s and to high ethical values. Through the various corporate social responsibility projects, he has worked together with governments and non-governmental organizations to ensure access to treatment. He holds a Doctorate in Medicine from Algiers and Paris, and a Master’s degree in Business Administration.