Association of Medical Councils of Africa to host 28th annual conference at Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel

The Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) is set to host its 28th Annual Conference at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra from Sunday, August 23 to 27, 2026, bringing together medical regulators and healthcare stakeholders from across Africa and beyond. Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, August 20, Registrar for the Medical and Dental Council, Dr Divine Ndonbi Banyubala, explained that AMCOA brings together medical regulatory authorities across the continent to strengthen the regulation of doctors, dentists and other healthcare professionals. He said the association’s work focuses on ensuring that healthcare professionals are properly trained, registered and licensed, possess the required competencies, and uphold ethical standards while remaining accountable to patients.

The conference is being held under the theme “Regulation for Safer Communities Towards Universal Health Coverage.” According to Dr Banyubala, effective healthcare regulation is critical to achieving universal health coverage because access to healthcare alone is not enough. “People must have access, but also access to basic quality and safe healthcare,” he said, stressing that expanding access without guaranteeing quality and patient safety would have limited value. He explained that regulators play a critical role in setting educational and professional standards, determining who can enter the healthcare profession, monitoring professional conduct and establishing mechanisms to hold practitioners accountable.

The conference will also focus on the increasing movement of healthcare professionals across African countries and beyond. A key area of discussion will be the African Healthcare Practitioner Regulatory Policy Outlook, which examines how regulatory systems can respond to the mobility of healthcare workers while protecting patients. Dr Banyubala said professional mobility is not inherently a problem but must be properly managed to ensure that practitioners who cross borders meet appropriate regulatory requirements.

The issue is particularly relevant to Ghana, where the government has been working on managed migration policies for healthcare professionals in collaboration with relevant institutions. “Whilst practitioners may cross borders, patient safety must cross with them,” Dr Banyubala stated. High-level participation Dr Banyubala disclosed that the…

The Association of Medical Councils of Africa (AMCOA) will bring together medical regulators from across the continent in Accra to discuss health worker migration, patient safety and the regulation of healthcare professionals. The 28th AMCOA Annual Conference is scheduled for August 23 to 27, 2026, at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra under the theme: “Regulation for Safer Communities Towards Universal Health Coverage.” Registrar of the Medical and Dental Council, Dr Divine Ndonbi Banyubala, said the increasing movement of healthcare professionals across borders requires stronger coordination among regulatory authorities. “That is one of the high-level conversations we’ll be having at this conference,” he said on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Thursday, August 20.

Dr Banyubala explained that AMCOA comprises medical regulatory and professional authorities responsible for ensuring that healthcare professionals are properly trained, registered, licensed and maintain the required standards of practice. “We are talking about institutions that are working every day to ensure that the doctors, the dentists, the physicians, or any of the other regulated healthcare professionals on our continent are properly trained, properly registered and licensed,” he said. Focus on safe health worker mobility Dr Banyubala said the movement of healthcare professionals between countries was not inherently problematic, but stressed the need for regulatory systems to keep pace with increasing mobility.