An African population that has timely access to safe and efficacious medical products of assured quality.

To strengthen ethics and regulatory capacity for clinical trials ensuring oversight of product development in African countries.

1. Members shall commit to harmonization, convergence, competence, collaboration and reliance.

2. Members shall adhere to confidentiality standards to ensure the integrity of data, information, and decisions.

3. Members shall use the platform to enhance their capacity through discussion, advancement of knowledge and exposure to policies and procedures pertaining to regulatory and ethics oversight.

4. Members shall jointly develop guidelines, policies, and regulatory frameworks for adoption, adaptation, and implementation in their countries for the ethics and regulatory oversight of clinical trials.

5. The mandate, mission, objectives, and agenda of AVAREF shall be determined by its membership and governing bodies.

AVAREF will expand its responsibilities and activities in a step-wise manner from vaccines to include all medical products and geographically to include all African countries. As such, AVAREF represents the first pan-African medical products regulatory network in fulfilment of the goals of AMRH, the AUC and the African Medicines Agency (AMA).

The objectives of AVAREF, are as follows:

• To effectively provide timely and relevant information to African countries which are targeted for clinical trials of medicines, and updates on clinical development of relevant products.

• To provide expertise to and to enhance capacity for African NRAs and Ethics Committees in support of regulation and evaluation of medical products, including facilitating the development of procedures for the authorization and monitoring of clinical trials as well as the evaluation of clinical trial data.

• To provide a platform for effective promotion of the principles of pan-African harmonization, convergence, competence-building, collaboration and reliance.

• To enhance the timeliness and improve the quality of reviews for clinical trail applications to meet internationally competitive standards.

• To promote innovation and research in Africa for diseases disproportionately affecting Africans.

• To promote and strengthen communication and collaboration between NRAs in countries where medical products are developed (Europe, North America etc.) and ECs and NRAs in those countries that are targets for clinical trials on the African continent.

• To provide a platform for effective integration of ethics review into regulatory oversight

• To serve as basis for advocacy for the sustainability of AVAREF through mobilization of national (local) resources.

• To harmonize regulation of clinical trials in the African region and improve the safety, efficacy, and quality of medical products.