Funding, infrastructure gaps slow Nigeria's herbal medicine research

The Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) is struggling to advance the development and integration of herbal medicine into the nation's healthcare system due to critical challenges. Martins Emeje, the agency's Director-General, identified insufficient funding, weak research infrastructure, and a lack of essential equipment as primary obstacles hindering scientific validation of traditional medicines and the development of safe, locally produced herbal products.

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The challenges have slowed efforts to validate traditional medicines scientifically and develop locally produced herbal products that can be safely incorporated into healthcare.

During a visit by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Udeh, to the agency's Lagos headquarters, Emeje highlighted that the NNMDA, Nigeria's sole trans-cultural medical research agency, lacks the necessary funds to acquire vital research equipment and expand its scientific facilities. He also pointed to low public awareness, inadequate staffing, and limited capacity development opportunities as further constraints on its operations. The agency requires expanded research and development facilities, including experimental medicinal plant farms across the country's six geopolitical zones, to strengthen pre-clinical and clinical studies.

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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.

Emeje also expressed concern over unclear guidelines for the clinical evaluation and integration of herbal medicines into Nigeria's healthcare framework. He noted that despite Nigeria's rich biodiversity and abundance of medicinal plants, traditional medicine knowledge suffers from poor public perception. The agency's most pressing need is a clinical observation laboratory to support scientific evaluation, along with accommodation for researchers. Minister Udeh acknowledged these needs and pledged to explore alternative financing options beyond government budget allocations, specifically mentioning the clinical observatory lab as a key requirement.

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We are sitting down today to innovatively identify ways of accessing funds to have it do