The Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) said it has started creating a comprehensive national database of traditional medicine practitioners as part of efforts to standardise and strengthen the sector.

The Director-General of NNMDA, Prof. Martins Emeje, said this yesterday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.

Emeje made this known following his appointment as Co-Chair of the World Health Organisation Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (STAG-TM) in December 2025.

Speaking on how he intended to leverage the position to advance traditional medicine practice in Nigeria and Africa, Emeje said the agency had recognised the need to index traditional medicine practitioners in the country.

He said that about 80 per cent of Nigerians, estimated at over 160 million people, rely on traditional medicine, particularly those in rural communities who lack access to conventional healthcare.

According to him, the initiative would bring sanity to the ecosystem, enhance credibility and create more visibility for the country’s natural medicine in the global space.

Emeje said that traditional medicine remains the most patronised form of healthcare in the country and globally, yet appears controversial and poorly funded.

“The traditional medicine ecosystem is in chaos because it lacks proper organisation. In my pharmacy profession, I have a number, and when you input that number on the website of the regulatory body, my name will come up, including where I work and my current licence.

“Traditional medicine in Nigeria lacks that, and, for the first time, we have started solving that problem.

“Eight months ago, we started the digital database of traditional medical practitioners, their practices and their products.

“After registering and documenting you based on our electronic system, we will now verify your place of practice, the kind of practice you render and the products that you have in those places,” Emeje said.