BY: Justice Godfry
The Honorable Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu said that the Natural Medicine Industry is worth a Billion Dollar globally and would help in addressing the challenges of extreme poverty and acute job shortages.
Dr. Onu made this known at the commissioning of the Technology and Patent Control center and multi-purpose hall at the Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency in Lagos over the weekend.
He said the promotion of natural medicine would aid in the development of small scale and medium industries, which would create job opportunities for families across the nation and provide more jobs for the citizens of Nigeria, and in turn have a positive effect on the economy.
Dr. Onu further said the development of the trado- natural medicine will elp to fight diseases ravaging Africans, as natural medicine would help focus on diseases known with black people.
“we should develop the age old tradition of using plants, herbs and vegetables to cure all forms of illness”, Dr. Onu added.
The Minister further tasked the Natural medicine agency, to look for important plants in all forest regions across the country to help develop medicine which would aid in the production of drugs to improve the value of lives of our citizens.
Dr. Onu further assured, that the Ministry would support the Natural Medicine agency in the development of natural medicine, by ensuring more funding and help in proper research of natural medicine.
He added that “we will promote all forms of innovation and commercialization of natural medicine”.
Furthermore, Dr. Onu stressed the need for the protection of intellectual property transfer and documentation of patents by Nigerian researchers. “our researchers would benefit, by having a share of commercialized products and also a situation where our researchers have enough to cater for themselves financially, which would help inspire younger ones to be interested in traditional medicine Research”.
The Minister urged the agency to help in inspiring the younger generations to be involved In research and production locally, which would reduce the pressure of constantly importing drugs from abroad, helping to locally grow the economy.
Earlier the Director General of Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency, Dr. Sam Evatuve, appreciated the efforts of the Minister in helping to actualize the increase in funding for the agency, which helped local researchers develop and research further into the field of natural medicine.
He further highlighted the 5 year strategy plan of the agency which contains the strategy plan of the agency in developing natural medicine in Nigeria for exports to the world.