WHO to FG: Standardise documentation, regulation of traditional medicine

-As NNMDA celebrates 2026 African Traditional Medicine Day

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to invest in the proper documentation and regulation of traditional medicine, arguing that this is the only means of harnessing the nation’s rich natural heritage to achieve Universal Health Coverage.

The global apex health institution also called for stronger collaboration between healthcare practitioners and traditional medicine practitioners, saying this will go a long way toward addressing grey areas in practice while closing the gap between herbal medicines and biomedicine in the country. It also called for the capacity building of traditional medicine practitioners on the prevention and control of infectious diseases, adding that this will ensure patient safety in the practice.

WHO’s Head of Traditional Medicine Unit, Dr Kim Sunchol, made this submission while addressing guests and participants at the commemoration of the 2026 African Traditional Medicine Day, organised by the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) at its headquarters on Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, on Monday, 31 August, 2026.

Acknowledging the place of herbal medicines in healthcare, Sunchol affirmed that traditional medicine is widely used across member states, including Nigeria, with a significant proportion of the population relying on it. Recognising this potential, he said WHO launched the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, which provides a framework for developing traditional medicine through evidence-based practices, stronger regulatory mechanisms and appropriate integration into national health systems.

“Once these systems are effectively established, consideration can then be given to the appropriate integration of traditional medicine and traditional medicine practitioners into the national healthcare delivery system. This would help to harness their contribution to achieving universal health coverage while ensuring that healthcare services remain safe, effective and of assured quality,” he stated.

Speaking on the theme of the celebration, “Reflection on Research and Development of Traditional Medicine Towards Achieving Universal Health Coverage”, the Director-General of NNMDA, Prof. Martins Emeje, underscored the importance of research and development in traditional medicine, arguing that it is essential to achieving universal health coverage. He said any country that underrates or fails to prioritise research and development of its natural resources for local medicines risks medicine insecurity.

Emeje rightly pointed out an important difference between conventional medicine and natural medicine, saying that food can serve as raw material or a building block for medicines.

“Therefore, developing natural medicine can contribute to both food security and medicine security. However, this can only be achieved through sustained research and development.”

Dr Sunchol, who joined the conference virtually, emphasised the important role of government in providing clear policy guidance and establishing appropriate regulatory mechanisms for traditional medicine practitioners and products. He said a national authority or appropriate regulatory structure should be strengthened to ensure the proper licensing and oversight of practitioners.

He reiterated the need for the training of practitioners on infectious disease prevention and treatment, as well as on proper documentation of their medicines, underscoring its importance for patient safety and sustainability of the practice.

According to the WHO official, “Capacity-building programmes should be developed for traditional medicine practitioners, particularly in areas such as infection prevention and control. Incorporating relevant aspects of biomedical training into the capacity-building of traditional medicine practitioners could strengthen their knowledge and improve the safety of the services they provide.”

The NNMDA DG further highlighted the difference between conventional research and development and research and development for natural medicines, saying, “Research does not necessarily mean that everything must be taken to a laboratory. Different forms of research can be conducted within communities.”

For example, he said researchers can engage traditional medicine practitioners, ask questions, gather information, document their practices and curate the knowledge they possess.

He therefore reiterated the need for policies that bring this knowledge into the formal research and healthcare system. Universal health coverage means ensuring access to quality, affordable and appropriate healthcare and medicines when people need them. Traditional medicine has a role to play in achieving this.

Emeje, however, cautioned that no one can particularly project when Nigeria will integrate traditional medicine into mainstream healthcare, asserting that the nation cannot achieve what China and India achieved over thousands of years in just three years.

He said this will only be possible when the private sector and other players express keen interest in advancing the natural heritage of the nation from what it is now.

“The private sector must become more interested in the development of traditional medicine. At present, there is limited private-sector investment because the returns are not immediate.

“In other parts of the world, individuals, families, foundations and private industries invest their resources and a percentage of their profits in natural-product research. When these products are eventually developed, countries such as Nigeria import them.”

He added that the ecosystem around traditional medicine has become more active in the past three years, and that this momentum needs to be sustained for the next 25 years.

“Countries such as China and India have spent thousands of years developing their traditional medicine systems. We cannot expect to achieve the same level of development in three years.”

The 2026 African Traditional Medicine Day, as marked by NNMDA, commenced with a Health Walk led by the DG, with staff and traditional medicine practitioners in attendance, while the keynote address was delivered by a Professor of Medicine and Consultant Endocrinologist, Prof. Andrew E. Uloko, from Bayero University Kano and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.