The government of Nigeria has pledged greater investment, stricter regulation, and global collaboration to build stronger evidence for traditional medicine, aiming to integrate it into the national healthcare system.
The country’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfar, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the President Bola Tinubu led government is committed to transforming traditional medicine into a “reliable and respected part” of the nation’s health architecture.
He also unveiled two key documents — the Strategic Plan of Action for the Implementation of the Traditional Medicine Policy and the Code of Ethics and Practice for Traditional Medicine Practitioners, as “roadmaps” for policy implementers and practitioners to ensure standardization, safety, and quality assurance.
“Evidence is the bridge between belief and policy”, Salako said at the commemoration of the 2025 African Traditional Medicine Day in the Nigerian capital, Abuja on Monday.
“Our goal is to document, standardize, and integrate evidence-based traditional medicine into Nigeria’s national health system, creating opportunities for job creation, local manufacturing, and improved healthcare access”, he stated.
Mr. Salako outlined several government-led initiatives to strengthen traditional medicine, which include:
* The creation of the Department of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) at the Ministry of Health.
* Development of the Traditional Medicine Policy for Nigeria and the Nigerian Herbal Pharmacopoeia, which documents over 200 medicinal plants and their uses.
* Plans to revive the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (FEDCAM), closed in 2010, to enhance practitioner training.
*Directives for all 36 states and the FCT to establish TCAM departments or boards, in line with resolutions from the 62nd National Council on Health.
*Strengthened partnerships with the World Health Organization (WHO), West African Health Organization (WAHO), and countries like China and India for technical and research support.