In a massive leap forward for domestic medical innovation, the Federal Government has officially launched seven powerful herbal remedies targeting prostate cancer, colorectal cancer, peptic ulcers, hypertension, high cholesterol, and hepatitis B.
Engineered by the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, these new formulas add to a growing roster of over 22 homegrown treatments developed from indigenous plants since 2023.
Unveiling the breakthroughs during a high-stakes visit to the agency’s Lagos headquarters on Tuesday, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, immediately convened top pharmaceutical titans to chart a fast track toward full-scale commercialization.
Emphasizing Nigeria’s vast flora, Udeh asserted that the nation holds an untapped botanical goldmine capable of delivering world-class solutions for its most pressing health crises.
The Minister paid tribute to the centuries-old legacy of traditional healing while pledging the government’s unyielding commitment to stripping away every operational bottleneck holding the agency back from its full potential.
To supercharge their research pipeline, Udeh vowed to expedite the construction of a cutting-edge Clinical Observational Research Centre while aggressively tackling funding shortfalls head-on.
He praised the agency’s brilliant researchers for their groundbreaking work on tropical diseases and chronic conditions, highlighting ongoing developments for malaria, sickle cell disease, erectile dysfunction, and diabetes.
“The resolution after the meeting with captains of industry in the pharmaceutical sector is that Nigeria has the potential to produce and export natural medicines worth billions of dollars,” Udeh stated.
“Billions of naira can also be generated by the agency through the production of natural medicines while meeting the healthcare needs of Nigerians,” the Minister added, emphasizing the massive economic potential of the sector.
“We are going to move immediately and innovatively after this unveiling to establish the Clinical Observational Research Centre without waiting for funding from the 2027 budget, and we are going to identify alternative ways of generating funds to build the centre,” Udeh declared.
