By Omoyeni Ojeifo
For generations, Nigerians have relied on indigenous remedies to treat illnesses. Now, the Federal Government aims to integrate scientifically validated traditional medicine practices into the mainstream healthcare system.
Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this in Abuja during the commemoration of the 2026 African Traditional Medicine Day, themed “Research and Development in Traditional Medicine towards Achieving Universal Health Coverage in the African Region.”
“Traditional medicine could play a greater role in healthcare delivery if supported by scientific research, effective regulation, quality assurance and safety standards.
“The future of traditional medicine must be built on rigorous research, effective regulation, quality assurance, ethical practice, documentation and continuous evaluation,” he noted, stressing that cultural acceptance alone cannot constitute scientific evidence.
According to the minister, the Nigerian Traditional Medicine Policy provides the framework for developing the sector and integrating it into the national healthcare system.
The framework he noted, is supported by the Ministry’s Department of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the 2025 Strategic Plan of Action for its implementation and the Code of Ethics and Practice for Traditional Medicine Practitioners.
Salako linked the initiative with the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative (NHSRII), particularly its focus on strengthening the healthcare value chain through local production and advancing equitable and quality healthcare delivery.
He listed government priorities to include strengthening research and evidence generation, regulation and quality assurance, documentation and preservation of indigenous knowledge, local production and innovation, as well as integrating safe and effective traditional medicine into conventional care.
The Minister called on practitioners to embrace research and ethical practice, researchers to intensify scientific investigation, regulators to enforce quality frameworks and investors to explore opportunities in validated traditional medicine products.
“Traditional medicine and modern medicine should not be viewed simply as competing systems. Evidence demonstrates that they can work together safely and effectively,” Salako said, describing both as complementary components of a people-centred healthcare system.
In her goodwill message, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Women’s Health, Dr. Adanna Steinacker, called for indigenous medical knowledge to be documented, protected and validated through research to establish safety, efficacy and dosage.
She cautioned that traditional medicine must not delay antenatal care, skilled delivery, emergency treatment or timely referral.
Steinacker said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is committed to inclusive and culturally responsive Universal Health Coverage.
Dr. Hamza Omotayo of the World Health Organization (WHO), commended Nigeria’s progress in strengthening the sector, including through the Department of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the Nigerian Pharmacopoeia.
He disclosed that WHO had trained 40 traditional medicine practitioners on the harvesting and preparation of standardised medicines.
Omotayo urged accelerated documentation of indigenous knowledge and equitable benefit-sharing with communities.
The Federal Government reaffirmed its commitment to harnessing Nigeria’s traditional medicine heritage while ensuring that products promoted to the public meet appropriate standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
It called on stakeholders to move beyond reflection to action by investing in research, strengthening institutions and ensuring responsible regulation.