The Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) organized a one-day colloquium
on November 2, 2023 to deal with the age long cold debate on the role of traditional,
complementary and integrative medicine in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery system. The meeting
which had the minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji in attendance,
challenged NNMDA to empower Nigeria and Nigerians with tools to explore the benefits of
indigenous medicine, featured three international experts in natural products development; Prof.
Atmaram Pawar, a pharmacist and vice chancellor, Poona College of Pharmacy, Dr. Willcox, a
physician, clinical researcher and lecturer at Oxford and Southampton University, and Jude
Nwokike, a quality of medicines expert, and Vice President, USP. The colloquium provided an
opportunity for genuine lovers of our dear country and its people to engage in dispassionate, and
realistic conversation towards developing sustainable strategies to attaining universal health
coverage in Nigeria; in raw and ambitious phrase, dismantle the shame of relying completely on
the importation of health products for our health care delivery.
The NNMDA is not unaware of the colonial mindset that traditional medicine in Nigeria is not
“international”, we are rather visioned by the reality that, majority of our people depend on this
means of healing, and to move the discussion from the computers to the shelves in accordance
with presidential directive and ministerial charge, we are calling on global scholars to join us as
we convert our academic knowledge to practical relevance through our newly established
NNMDA Fellowship. The fellowship affords the awardee the opportunity to work with us for a
minimum of one month, and maximum of three months at this phase. This is purely a merit-based
and innovation-driven exercise, hence, the stringent academic and hands-on requirements. Stop
the lamentation and join those who work! See application below. Click to Download Form