University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED) Ondo has tasked Nigeria to take advantage of the global market of medicinal plants estimated at around $100 billion.
This was brought to the fore at the African Traditional Medicine Day, organised by the Centre for Herbal Medicine and Drug Discovery on Thursday, at Laje campus of the university.
Contained in a paper titled: “Development and Promotion of Indigenous Medicinal Plants to Facilitate Universal Healthcare in Nigeria,” the keynote speaker, Mrs Zainab Shariff, identified the need for value addition to the existing medicinal plants in Nigeria to make them exportable.
She decried that Nigeria was not indicated in the export of medicinal plants despite its large biodiversity.
According to her, all hope was not lost if the nation could identify hectares of land for cultivation of medicinal plants, cultivate medicinal plants for value addition, produce NAFDAC-listed herbal medicines, phytomedicines, and nutraceuticals, market products to various outlets to support their further research and strengthen research, widen collaboration with relevant stakeholders, implement academic research findings in herbal medicine, among others.
She said it was expedient for Nigeria to explore medicinal plants as they may be worth about $5 trillion by 2050.
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adesegun Fatusi, while speaking at the event said the university already toed the line through the implementation of post graduate diploma in herbal medicine.
He disclosed that “as part of the fallouts of the institution’s exposure to the benefits of herbal medicine, the university has established a Department of Complementary Alternative Medicine that will begin a B.Sc. programme in October 2024.
The Acting Director, Centre for Herbal Medicine and Drug Discovery, Dr Oghale Ovuakporie-Uvo, in her welcome address, reinforced the university’s commitment to the exploration of herbal medicine to facilitate universal healthcare by saying that “an understanding of the empirical basis and rational application of Indigenous traditional medicine, particularly folk and traditional medicinal practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts (herbalism) are crucial for holistic health in the African context”.
The event themed: “Development and Promotion of Indigenous Herbal Medicine to Facilitate Universal Healthcare in Nigeria,” had in attendance Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare; Dr Azeez Aderemi, Acting Chief Executive Officer/Interim Administrator, Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Professor Kofi Busia; policymakers, industry experts amongst others.
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