Nigerian Scientist Martins Emeje appointed to WHO traditional medicine group

Prof. Martins Emeje, Director-General of the Nigerian Natural Medicines Development Agency, NNMDA, has been appointed as a member of the World Health Organisation, WHO, Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, STAG-TM. 

He was appointed alongside 19 other experts drawn from different parts of the world. Emeje was also selected as a Co-Chair by members of the group during the WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, which held in New Delhi, India, from December 17 to December 19.

The creation of the advisory group marks an important step in the implementation of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy for 2025 to 2034, aimed at strengthening the role of traditional and complementary medicine in global health systems.

Emeje, speaking with newsmen on Monday in Abuja, said his appointment to the WHO STAG-TM was to ensure that Nigeria, alongside other African countries, aligns with global standards in the practice of traditional medicine.

“This appointment is the highest form of honour one could receive in this area and I am grateful to WHO, to my country and parents.

“With this appointment, I see the natural medicine ecosystem blooming because I am not going to be sitting in meetings where we are discussing how traditional, complementary and integrative medicine will develop in the entire world while my country will not develop.

“This is a recognition for West Africa and a challenge thrown to us to wake up from where we are now because Africa generally is lagging behind,” he said.

He added that the recognition was as a result of hard work put into the country’s traditional medicine ecosystem and the Federal Government was beginning to pay attention to the sector.

Emeje recalled that early in the year, the House of Representatives passed a resolution on the need for Nigeria to prioritise natural medicine and President Bola Tinubu had also called on African leaders to prioritise local research as solutions to the continent’s problems.

According to Emeje, that is what traditional medicine is about.

The NNMDA D-G said they were appointed with the consideration of traditional medicine as a delicate area with diverse controversies such as cultural differences, research differences and commercial interests.

“All of these are issues why different people have been pulled together from different parts of the world and are going to look at these issues with neutrality, without bias but with the eye of helping the world especially the underserved across the world.

“We are going to see how we can move traditional medicine forward to the next level, lay solid foundation for the sector,” he said.

Emeje was appointed a Co-chair of the group alongside Prof Susan Wieland, Director of Cochrane Complementary Medicine, USA, while pledging safer traditional medicines with standard quality and highly efficacious as well as effective.

Both Emeje and Wieland were appointed based on their longstanding leadership in advancing rigorous evidence for traditional medicine research and the development of natural products.

Emeje, however, solicited the support of other African countries to ensure effective performance of their responsibilities for the growth of traditional medicine in Africa.

Members of the STAG-TM will serve two-year terms and work through annual meetings and thematic sub-groups focusing on priority areas such as evidence generation, regulation, integration and collaboration.

The group will advise the WHO on global directions for traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, as well as appropriate approaches for integrating traditional and complementary medicine into health systems.

Members are also expected to provide technical support to the WHO in setting norms and standards for traditional, complementary and integrative medicine to ensure its proper use.

In addition, the group will provide scientific support to the WHO in shaping the research agenda for traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, among other functions.

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