WAHO launches West African herbal pharmacopoeia publication

The West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO), on Monday launched the Official Publication of the 2nd Volume of West African Herbal Pharmacopoeia.
This is in line with its quest to strengthen the institutionalisation of traditional medicine into national health systems.
The Director General of WAHO, Prof. Standley Okolo who spoke at the launch and 12th Scientific Congress of Traditional Medicine Practitioners and Conventional Medicine Practitioners in Abuja, noted that much gains have been recorded within the promotion of traditional nedicine during the 20 year period.
Okolo said that the action plan being launched would create a political, economic, regulatory and scientific environment favourable to the development and protection by intellectual property of practices, products and practitioners in the sector.
He reiterated WAHO’s commitment to the development of homegrown solutions to health issues that affect people of the West Africa sub region.
In her remarks, Chairperson of the ceremony, Dr. Yirinkyi Anastasia urged participants to ensure that a better strategy was developed for the future, after x-raying progress made so far
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that the two decades (2001-2020) of traditional medicine decreed by African states formed part of blueprints accompanied by strategic actions for the adoption of essential tools for the institutionalisation of traditional medicine into national health systems.
The strategic foresight aims to create a favourable environment for the development and protection of intellectual property of practices, products and practitioners of the sector.
The action plan to guide states in achieving the set objectives gives an important role to collaboration between practitioners of conventional and traditional medicine.
It also allows for research on medicinal plants, production of traditional drugs of proven efficacy and introduction of training modules on traditional medicine in health schools.