The Director-General of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria, SON, Mr Farouk Salim has called for traditional medicine to be standardised, to contribute significantly to disease management in Africa.
Mr Farouk stated this at the ongoing 13th Technical Meeting of the National Mirror/Technical Committee on African Traditional Medicine hosted by SON in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.
Mr Salim said, “the meeting seeks to discuss and articulate Nigeria’s position in the conclusion of 24 draft standards in African Traditional Medicine at the Continental level.”
He said; “There is a challenge, we need to standardise them, the question is what standard? This is where this meeting comes in because it is to determine what standard should be met by specific traditional medicine, we are picking them one by one, we are picking a number at this meeting.”
“And so we set a benchmark, this is what it must be, so that people can then use them safely, people can use them with confidence and as a country, we can send them to other countries because the standard would have been set.”
The SON boss stated that the meeting would also discuss standards to be used in the African Region.
“Once it is agreed, it means traditional medicine developed in Nigeria can be used in Rwanda, can be used in South Africa because they have been made to meet the standard and it’s very important, if not our traditional medicine will remain local,” Mr Salim explained.
He was represented at the event by his Chief of staff, Mr Olobayo Kunle.
The Chairperson of the National Mirror/Technical Committee on African Traditional Medicine, Professor Maurice Iwu noted that 34 standards are being worked on presently.
Professor Iwu said; “We have some approved standards that have gone through our processes, the Regulatory Council of Standards in Nigeria has already approved them, what is left is for us to make it public.”
He noted that all sectors of the profession were members of the Committee.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
