The Federal Government has emphasised the need for traditional medicine practitioners to subject their products and practices to modern scientific scrutiny to dispel the scepticism around traditional medicine, largely due to the absence of rigorous scientific scrutiny and standardisation. It called for investment in research and clinical studies that validate the safety, efficacy, and quality of traditional medicine remedies.
Minister of State for Health, Adekunle Salako, who gave the charge during the commemoration of the 2025 African Traditional Medicine Day in Abuja, stated that strengthening the evidence base for traditional medicine is very critical to ensuring acceptability and integration into the health system of countries, adding that to achieve this, we must subject our traditional medicine resources to scientific principles of rigorous testing, analysis and draw conclusions that are replicable.
He said, “Evidence is the bridge between belief and policy. It is what will allow traditional medicines to move from the periphery to the mainstream of healthcare delivery, not just in Nigeria, but also across the continent. Our goal is to promote documentation and standardisation of practices and ultimately the full integration of evidence-based traditional medicine into our national health system.”
Salako, who emphasised that long before the advent of modern medical systems, Nigerian communities relied on herbal remedies, spiritual healing, and indigenous knowledge systems to prevent and treat diseases.
He stressed that traditional medicine remains the first and sometimes the only source of healthcare for millions of Nigerians, especially those in rural and underserved areas.
The minister noted that the COVID-19 pandemic reminded the world of the importance of resilient and diversified healthcare systems and also reignited interest in natural remedies.
He, therefore, advised that Nigeria and the entire African continent must seize this momentum to bring its traditional medicine to the global stage, with evidence as its passport.
According to him, traditional medicine in our country therefore possesses a huge potential to contribute to the presidential agenda to unlock the healthcare value chain, promoting local manufacturing, creating jobs, growing the economy and improving healthcare access.