The Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) has pointed out that lack of funding, weak research facilities, and equipment shortages are major problems hindering the development and use of herbal medicine in Nigeria's healthcare system.
Martins Emeje, the Director-General of the agency, shared this on Tuesday during a visit by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, to the agency's headquarters in Lagos.
Mr Emeje explained that these challenges have slowed down efforts to scientifically validate traditional medicines and create locally made herbal products that can safely fit into healthcare.
The NNMDA is the only agency in Nigeria that focuses on researching, developing, and promoting natural medicines from the country's rich biodiversity.
According to Mr Emeje, the agency does not have enough funding to buy essential research equipment and develop its scientific facilities.
He also mentioned that low public awareness of the agency's work, insufficient staff, and limited training opportunities are other issues affecting its operations.
The agency needs to grow its research and development facilities, including experimental farms for medicinal plants in all six geopolitical zones of the country. It also wants to improve pre-clinical and clinical studies needed to prove the safety and effectiveness of herbal medicines.
Mr Emeje raised concerns about what he called unclear guidelines for evaluating herbal medicines and integrating them into Nigeria's healthcare system.
He noted that traditional medicine knowledge suffers from poor public perception, even though Nigeria has a wealth of medicinal plants and biodiversity.
The director-general said one of the agency's most pressing needs is a clinical observation laboratory to support the scientific evaluation of herbal medicines.
He also asked for the building of chalets to house researchers who often work late hours.
In response, Mr Udeh acknowledged the agency's needs and promised that the ministry would look into other funding options rather than just relying on government budgets.
"The clinical observatory lab, which has been one of the major needs of the agency that’s been brought to my attention, is something that even the DG has mentioned, and we are not talking about taking the responsibility to have it done by tomorrow," Mr Udeh said.
"We are sitting down today to innovatively identify ways of accessing funds to have it done. It mustn’t be budgeted funds. From what we are doing here, stakeholders can support in doing it. Stakeholders from the private sector can support it. We can also access some grants and other funds that we can use to make this a reality."
The minister added that some stakeholders have already shown interest in supporting the agency's work.
During the visit, Kannan Chockalingam, India’s Consul in Lagos, called for stronger ties between Nigeria and India in traditional medicine.
He suggested that the partnership could focus on biodiversity conservation, quality assurance, scientific validation, and innovation in herbal medicine.
He explained that innovation in traditional medicine means using modern scientific methods to validate and standardise existing local knowledge, which would create opportunities for research and product development.
The minister also introduced seven locally developed herbal products aimed at managing conditions like cancer, hepatitis, peptic ulcers, high cholesterol, hypertension, and male sexual health.
Mr Udeh praised Mr Emeje for his leadership and promised to involve industry stakeholders to speed up the commercialisation of the agency's herbal products.
"We will engage industry leaders on how to get these products into the market," Mr Udeh said.
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