… Adigwe emerges as chair
By Hassan Zaggi
In order to drastically reduce the rate of importation of health products into the country, the Federal Government has inaugurated a Ministerial Committee on the Development of Phytomedicine Value Chain.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, who inaugurated the committee in Abuja, yesterday, noted that “Nigeria cannot afford to remain a net importer of health products while our indigenous knowledge systems and natural wealth lie dormant.”
The Committee which has 7 terms of reference has the Director General of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), Dr. Obi Adigwe, as its chairman.
According to the Minister: “Nigeria is blessed with vast biodiversity and the traditional use of medicinal plants and natural medicine to treat and manage various ailments. Yet, this enormous resource has remained largely underutilized, undervalued, and insufficiently integrated into our mainstream health and economic systems.
“As part of the current administration’s commitment to Universal Health Coverage (UHC), economic diversification, and job and wealth creation, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is advancing the Phytomedicine Value Chain Initiative. This is not just a health policy; it is also a socio-economic policy.”
He further disclosed that: “It is envisaged that the commercialization of the phytomedicine value chain will provide jobs in the area of conservation, cultivation and harvesting of medicinal plants; and the production of herbal medicinal products locally at industrial scale. This will ensure Nigeria’s participation in the fast-growing global market for herbal medicinal products and its contribution to our national economy.”
The 7-point terms of reference, according to him, include to develop a comprehensive framework for the commercialization of phytomedicine products in Nigeria– spanning research, standardization, quality control, intellectual property protection, and market entry; to identify key phytomedicinal products with commercial potential and facilitate partnerships between traditional medicine practitioners, research institutions, and the private sector for product development; to propose policy reforms and regulatory mechanisms that will enable an enabling business environment for phytomedicine commercialization, while ensuring patient safety and efficacy standards and to create pathways for capacity building and knowledge exchange among stakeholders in the phytomedicine value chain – including traditional healers, scientists, pharmacists, and entrepreneurs.
Other terms of reference, he said, are to recommend sustainable financing and investment models, including opportunities for local and international collaboration, grants, and venture capital support for phytomedicine innovation; to ensure alignment with national health strategies and global best practices, in line with WHO guidelines on traditional medicine and any other relevant task to ensure the realization of the intended objectives.
Speaking, the Director General of NIPRD who is also the chairman of the Ministerial Committee, Dr. Obi Adigwe, insisted that it is unacceptable for Nigeria- a country richly endowed to continue to play at the surface of the phytomedicine market, which according to him, is fast approaching half a trillion US Dollars.
He explained that the Ministerial Committee will leverage on the political will demonstrated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by his recentPresidential Executive Order on Pharma and Allied Sectors to commercialise Nigeria’s phytomedicines in a manner that is sustainable, competitive, multi-faceted and inclusive.
“Over the years, NIPRD has not only conceptualised but also operationalised evidence-based approaches for harnessing these natural resources. One such example is our Contextual Processing Protocol (CPP) — a bottom-up framework that enables rural women and youth to ethically and scientifically process indigenous plants into medicinal products.
“This model has been recognised internationally and forms the cornerstone of our strategy for integrated phytomedicine production and capacity building.
“Furthermore, our ongoing work to establish Regional Centres of Excellence across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones represents a deliberate move to decentralise innovation, stimulate local economies, and foster inclusive development,” he said.
The role of the Ministerial Committee, Dr. Adigwe explained, “transcends advisory functions; it is transformational. Africa no longer accepts tokenistic gestures. We will lead every step of the value chain: from discovery and formulation to clinical validation, quality assurance, and global export.
“We will create high-value employment, build robust capacity, secure revenue streams, and, above all, improve health outcomes for our citizens.”
He, however, assured that his committee is fully committed to undertaking this critical assignment with the highest sense of national responsibility.
“We will work hand in hand with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that high quality, safe, efficacious and affordable phytomedicines become both a pillar of Nigeria’s healthcare strategy and a driving force of our economic resurgence.”
