The Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) and Covenant University (CU) formalised a strategic alliance through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Lagos, at the weekend. This collaboration aims to drive the development of natural medicine in Nigeria, leveraging the strengths of both institutions.
Prof. Martins Emeje, Director-General of NNMDA, emphasised the significant opportunities this partnership presents for the country. He highlighted the potential for natural medicine to generate employment, boost national revenue, and elevate NNMDA as a leading research institute in West Africa.
Emeje underscored that Covenant University would contribute its expertise in human capital development, while NNMDA would focus on research and development.
“This partnership is designed to achieve a level of collaboration where research institutes gain prominence on par with investors, similar to practices in other regions,” Emeje remarked.
The renown scientist stated the NNMDA’s recent achievements, including the launch of four new products and the development of 11 additional products, which are currently undergoing assessment by NAFDAC.
He projected that the natural medicine sector could create substantial job opportunities, with a single product potentially generating 3.8 million jobs. According to him, the global natural medicine market is expected to reach $347 billion by 2030, with plant-based medicines alone potentially generating $5 trillion by 2050.
Prof. Abiodun Adebayo, Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stressing the need for the country to recognise and leverage its indigenous medicinal resources.
Adebayo argued that investing in these resources could lead to significant economic benefits, including funding national budgets. He drew comparisons to China, noting how Chinese research institutes are highly regarded and suggesting Nigeria should adopt similar models to maximize its natural product potential.
‘’Now having had a pinch of this during my training in China, I can let you know that even the institutes in China, and there are several hundreds of them, are more highly rated than the universities where they produce postgraduate training
“So, I want to admonish and recommend that our government begins to pay attention to this; let us fund the institutes, let’s fund the agencies”, he stated.
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