Rwanda FDA hosted Prof. Abebaw Fekadu, Head of the Center for Innovative Drug Development and Therapeutic Trials for Africa (CDT-Africa) and co-director of the WHO collaborating centre for mental health research and capacity building at the College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University , the Director CDT- Africa and Prof. Eyasu Makonnen Deputy Director of CDT- Africa. 

CDT-Africa is a World Bank supported Africa centre of excellence for education and research in medical discovery and development.

The delegation met with Rwanda FDA’s Director General, RBC's Deputy Director General, the Head of Food and Drugs Assessment and Registration Department as well as the Division Manager Pharmacovigilance and Food Safety Monitoring; whose division is incharge of clinical trials oversight. The meeting discussions focused  on  collaboration and partnership between the Authority and CDT-Africa in Clinical Trial capacity development. Rwanda FDA’s functions in clinical trials oversight include coordinating all activities related to the conduct of clinical trials in Rwanda ,receiving and reviewing clinical trial application and clinical trial amendments among others.

As the country moves into vaccines production, such a collaboration is also critical for strengthening Rwanda’s overall pharmaceutical capabilities.