The Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) says it has developed more than 22 scientifically validated herbal medicines under President Bola Tinubu’s administration since 2023.
NNMDA, established in 1997, is mandated to research, develop, document, preserve and promote Nigeria’s natural medicine and facilitate its integration into the national healthcare system.
NNMDA Director-General Prof. Martins Emeje disclosed this in an interview with reporters on Wednesday in Lagos.
Emeje said the agency had also advanced indigenous medicine research, product development, training and documentation while gaining greater national and international visibility.
According to him, one of the major developments under his leadership has been the production of scientifically developed natural medicine products.
He said the agency, which previously had no oral dosage products it could showcase, has developed a range of herbal formulations in the last three years.
“In July 2026, the Federal Government unveiled seven additional indigenous herbal medicines developed by NNMDA.
“The products target conditions including hepatitis B, peptic ulcer disease, hypertension, high cholesterol, male sexual health disorders and selected cancers.
“The achievements reflect the agency’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s rich traditional medicine heritage into safe, effective and globally acceptable healthcare products,” Emeje said.
He said the products were developed through rigorous scientific processes, including laboratory analysis, standardisation, safety assessments and efficacy studies.
Emeje said the agency was working with relevant regulatory bodies to facilitate their approval and commercialisation.
According to him, the medicines target a range of health conditions and are being developed in line with national priorities and the need to reduce dependence on imported pharmaceutical products.
“We are not merely documenting traditional remedies; we are subjecting them to scientific validation and developing them into products that can meet modern healthcare standards,” he said.
Emeje also pointed to the establishment and development of the agency’s herbal pharmacy at its Kofo Abayomi facility in Lagos, describing it as the first public herbal pharmacy of its kind in Nigeria.
He added that the facility currently contains herbal products developed by the agency and has attracted interest from researchers and institutions seeking to study its model for natural medicine development.
The director-general said the agency had also strengthened collaboration with universities, research institutions, traditional medicine practitioners and private-sector organisations to accelerate innovation in the sector.
He said NNMDA had expanded its training programmes for practitioners and researchers while improving the documentation of indigenous knowledge to protect it from extinction and unauthorised exploitation.
On capacity development, Emeje said the agency had advanced efforts to build formal training structures for natural medicine practitioners and researchers.
He said NNMDA operates the Nigeria College of Natural Medicine Technology, whose mandate includes training and capacity building in natural medicine.
Emeje further disclosed that the agency had begun the digital documentation of traditional medicine practitioners and their activities across Nigeria, including information on practitioners, facilities and locations.
He said the initiative aligned with NNMDA’s statutory mandate to document indigenous healthcare systems, medicinal resources and traditional medicine practices, as well as develop national databases and digital repositories for such knowledge.
Emeje said the agency’s growing international visibility had opened opportunities for partnerships, technology transfer and the promotion of Nigerian herbal products beyond the country.
He also highlighted his appointment as co-chair of the World Health Organisation’s advisory group on traditional medicine as evidence of the growing international recognition of Nigeria’s natural medicine research efforts.
Another major focus, according to the DG, was reducing Nigeria’s dependence on imported pharmaceutical inputs.
He cited the development of pharmaceutical-grade starch from cassava as an example of how local agricultural resources could be converted into pharmaceutical raw materials.
“NNMDA has been working on pharmaceutical-grade starch production using Nigeria’s cassava resources. The initiative can reduce import dependence and create opportunities across the cassava and pharmaceutical value chains.
“A 2025 peer-reviewed review involving Emeje also showed that pharmaceutical-grade starch used by Nigeria’s pharmaceutical industry was imported, despite the country’s large cassava production,” the DG said.
Emeje said the agency’s work had received support from the National Assembly and the Federal Government, particularly around indigenous research and development.
He said stronger political and institutional backing was essential for transforming research findings into commercially viable products.
While presenting the achievements, Emeje repeatedly linked the progress recorded by the agency to the support and policy direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
He said the development of indigenous medicines could create jobs, support local farmers who cultivate medicinal plants and contribute to the diversification of the Nigerian economy.
Emeje said the broader objective was to reposition natural medicine from largely informal practice into a research-driven sector capable of producing standardised medicines, generating economic opportunities and contributing to Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The DG’s account comes amid continued government efforts to commercialise indigenous research outputs.
“In July, the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology said the newly unveiled NNMDA products would be incorporated into its research-commercialisation framework to help move locally developed innovations from laboratories towards the market,” he said.
The NNMDA boss urged Nigerians to patronise only herbal products that had been properly tested and approved by the relevant authorities, warning against the use of unverified remedies.
He said the agency would continue to support research and development, strengthen quality control and promote the responsible integration of traditional medicine into the national healthcare system.
Emeje expressed optimism that the ongoing efforts would position Nigeria as a leading centre for natural medicine research and production in Africa.
He said the agency was also exploring stronger partnerships with state governments and healthcare institutions to expand access to validated herbal medicines and ensure that research outcomes translated into practical benefits for communities.
According to him, the next phase of the agency’s work will focus on scaling up production, improving packaging and strengthening post-market surveillance to safeguard public health.
Emeje said NNMDA would continue to engage traditional medicine practitioners in the validation process, noting that their knowledge remained valuable in identifying medicinal plants and developing new research leads.
He called for increased investment in natural medicine research, saying that sustained funding was essential to move promising discoveries from the laboratory to the market.
The director-general also appealed to young scientists and entrepreneurs to explore opportunities in medicinal plant cultivation, processing and product development.
He said the agency’s achievements since 2023 demonstrated that Nigeria could build a competitive natural medicine industry when scientific expertise, indigenous knowledge and government support were brought together.
Emeje said the agency would also intensify public awareness campaigns to educate Nigerians on the benefits and limitations of herbal medicines, as well as the importance of seeking professional medical advice before use.
He said the agency’s long-term goal was to establish a robust natural medicine value chain that would link research institutions, farmers, manufacturers, regulators and healthcare providers.
Emeje said such a system would improve the availability of quality-assured products, strengthen local manufacturing capacity and enhance Nigeria’s contribution to global natural medicine research.
He said the agency would continue to monitor emerging health needs and align its research priorities with national disease-control programmes, particularly in areas where affordable and locally produced treatment options were urgently required.
Emeje said NNMDA was also working to improve the preservation and sustainable harvesting of medicinal plants, warning that indiscriminate exploitation could threaten important species and undermine future research.
He urged state governments, development partners and private investors to support the establishment of medicinal plant gardens, processing centres and research laboratories across the country.
The director-general said stronger regulation and public education would be critical to preventing the circulation of counterfeit, adulterated or falsely advertised herbal products.
He advised consumers to read product labels carefully, follow dosage instructions and consult qualified health professionals, especially when combining herbal preparations with conventional medicines.
Emeje said the agency would continue to share research findings with regulators and healthcare providers to promote evidence-based decisions and improve confidence in validated natural medicine products.
He expressed confidence that sustained collaboration among government agencies, academia, industry and traditional medicine practitioners would accelerate the growth of the sector and deliver better health outcomes.
Emeje said NNMDA remained committed to ensuring that Nigeria’s indigenous medical knowledge was preserved, scientifically strengthened and converted into safe products capable of serving both local and international markets.
