The leadership of the National Association of Traditional Medicine Practitioners of Nigeria, alongside other factional leaders, visited Prof. Martins Emeje, Director General of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), at the agency’s Abuja office to felicitate with him following his appointment as Co-Chair of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine.

During the visit, Prof. Emeje expressed delight over the association’s decision to do away with factionalism, noting that Dr. Ibrahim Nakowa, a former factional leader, is now a team player and supporter of the Dr. Shaaba Maikudi-led association. He emphasized the need for a summit of all traditional medicine practitioners in the first quarter of 2026, and a committee is expected to be constituted towards this end.

Prof. Emeje highlighted the NNMDA’s priorities, including documentation of practitioners, verification of claims, and curation of data. He also discussed the implementation of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy for 2025-2034, stressing the need for standardization, safety, efficacy, and quality.

The NNMDA DG announced plans to introduce simple regulations prioritizing hygiene and packaging to enable Nigeria to become a major player in the global natural medicine space. He also requested the association to submit a proposal on the Greenwall for Medicinal Plants initiative.

The visit marked a new era of collaboration between traditional medicine practitioners and the NNMDA, aimed at advancing traditional medicine in Nigeria.