…Advocates Training, Documentation As Pillars Of Credibility
At the Lagos headquarters of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), the air buzzed with both nostalgia and anticipation on Monday as experts, practitioners, and advocates marked the 2025 African Traditional Medicine Day.
The event, observed annually on August 31 across the continent, was not just about honouring indigenous healing practices—it was about charting a bold new future for them.
This year’s commemoration, themed “Strengthening the Evidence Base for Traditional Medicine” by the World Health Organisation (WHO), spotlighted the need for training and documentation as the pillars of credibility.
For Nigeria, where nearly 70 per cent of the population still depends on traditional remedies for primary healthcare, the occasion underscored both the urgency and the opportunity for reform.
Saturday Telegraph reports that the event was organised by the NNMDA.
Opening the session, the Director-General of the NNMDA, Professor Martins Emeje, called for honesty and cultural confidence. “More than in any other area of health, people are even ashamed of talking about traditional medicine,” he lamented. “But the truth is, it has been part of our lives for centuries.
“If we want to make progress, our research must be culturally acceptable.”
Emeje insisted that Nigeria must follow the footsteps of China and India, two nations that have successfully institutionalised their indigenous healing systems, turning them into globally recognised assets. He argued that traditional medicine is not inferior knowledge, but a resource that must be structured, trained, and documented.
NNMDA’s strides: In just two years under Emeje’s leadership, NNMDA has recorded milestones that hint at a transformation. The agency now runs an accredited College of Natural Medicine, producing its first batch of pioneer graduates.
It also serves as the awarding body for traditional medicine qualifications under the National Skills Qualification programme, recently launched by the Ministry of Education.
Beyond training, documentation has become a central focus. NNMDA has developed Nigeria’s first national digital database of traditional medicine practitioners, featuring audio and video records that can be accessed globally.
“This is the best thing that has happened in this country in this area,” Emeje said, adding that the system is revolutionising how traditional knowledge is stored and shared.
He further clarified the role of the much-anticipated Traditional Medicine Council, stressing that NNMDA’s mandate covers academic training while the council—once passed into law—will regulate professional practice.
“So the Traditional Medicine Council Bill cannot be responsible for academic training of traditional medical practitioners because their job will be purely professional practice,” he said.
Delivering the keynote lecture, Neurotoxicologist and Integrative Medicine expert, Dr. John Tor-Agbidye, hammered home the importance of evidence-based systems.
“Traditional medicine is what 70 per cent of Nigerians rely on. It has a rich cultural heritage. But the challenges remain under-documentation, weak regulation, poor training and safety concerns,” he noted.
He urged lawmakers to hasten the passage of the Traditional Medicine Council Bill, calling it the missing legal framework that would ensure uniform standards, regulate safety, and expand research.
“Without a regulatory council, training and documentation will remain uncoordinated,” he warned.
Dr. Tor-Agbidye also applauded steps already taken by the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies, including the publication of a national Herbal Pharmacopoeia and a Nigerian Medicinal Plant List.
These, he said, provide a scientific basis for practitioners and researchers to work with. Universities such as Benin, Jos, Lagos, and Obafemi Awolowo also run herbal medicine programmes, building bridges between indigenous wisdom and modern science.
Lessons
The keynote speaker reminded participants that while China and India train Nigerian practitioners, Nigeria must not outsource its future. Instead, he advocated a robust national training programme, with stronger backing from the WHO and the West African Health Organisation (WAHO).
“You cannot do research without good funding,” he said, challenging Nigerian scientists to pursue global grants. “Training and documentation will safeguard patients, preserve cultural heritage, and encourage drug discovery.”
He also highlighted the need to break stigma. Many Nigerians—including high-profile individuals—consult traditional healers quietly, fearing ridicule. Documentation, he said, could still work under confidentiality while protecting patients’ safety.
Integration: The bigger vision, both speakers agreed, is integration. Already, universities and research institutes are working with agencies like NNMDA, National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to validate herbal remedies and set safety standards. Regulation ensures that no herbal product is listed without tests for safety and efficacy, with dosage standards now being developed.
For Nigeria’s healthcare system, integration means traditional and orthodox practitioners can complement each other, with patient outcomes at the centre. As Dr. Tor-Agbidye explained, “What we have now is complementary medicine. Our goal is always the patient’s clinical outcome.”
Hope and caution: Participants raised questions about safety, dosage, and stigma, to which experts responded with both realism and optimism. While acknowledging risks from unregulated products, speakers pointed to regulation as a safeguard.
Others urged synergy among universities, research institutions, and the government to turn research into real products that benefit households.
Dr. Tor-Agbidye concluded on a hopeful note: “This is not a situation where nothing is being done. A lot is being done.
But training and documentation remain the cornerstone for evidence-based traditional medicine. If we have the laws, the training, and the political will, traditional medicine will not only serve Nigerians but also gain global respect.”
The 2025 African Traditional Medicine Day, therefore, was more than a celebration—it was a blueprint. For NNMDA, the focus remains on strengthening education, scaling up documentation, and ensuring that indigenous knowledge is preserved and respected.
For policymakers, the urgency lies in passing the Traditional Medicine Council Bill and providing sustainable funding for research.
For ordinary Nigerians, the takeaway is clear: traditional medicine is not a relic of the past but a living, evolving system of care that can complement modern medicine when properly regulated.
As the health walk at NNMDA wrapped up and participants logged off the webinar, one message lingered: Nigeria’s healing roots can indeed meet modern hopes, if training, documentation, and regulation walk hand in hand.
