Nigeria has achieved a prominent position on the global health stage with a landmark appointment at the World Health Organisation (WHO). This development marks a significant recognition of the country's expertise in the field of natural and traditional medicine.
A Prestigious Global Role for a Nigerian Expert
Prof. Martins Emeje, the Director General of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), has been appointed as the Co-Chair of the WHO's newly formed Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine. The announcement was made public on 25 December 2025. This strategic group, comprising 19 top experts, was formally unveiled by the WHO to guide its worldwide efforts in this critical health sector.
Prof. Emeje will share the leadership of this influential body with Dr. Susan Wieland, who serves as the Director at Cochrane Complementary Medicine. Their appointment places them at the heart of the WHO's mission to harness the potential of traditional medicine within modern health systems.
Driving Evidence-Based Integration Worldwide
The core mandate of this high-level advisory group is to provide technical and strategic guidance to the WHO and its member states. Their focus areas are crucial for safe and effective practice:
- Developing robust policy frameworks.
- Setting research priorities to build a solid evidence base.
- Establishing international standards and best practices.
This work will directly support the implementation of the WHO's Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025, which aims to strengthen health systems globally by integrating proven traditional and complementary medicine approaches.
The WHO stated that creating this group is "a decisive step in applying a scientific response to traditional medicine." The organization highlighted that the rapid global growth in the use of traditional and complementary medicine has, until now, moved faster than the development of strong evidence, standards, and regulatory oversight.
A Turning Point for Global Health Systems
The inaugural meeting of the advisory group was held in conjunction with the Second WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit in New Delhi, India. During this landmark event, Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, the WHO's Assistant Director General for Health Systems, Access and Data, described the moment as a definitive turning point for traditional medicine on the world stage.
For Nigeria, Prof. Emeje's appointment is more than an individual honour; it is a validation of the nation's investment and research in natural medicine. It positions Nigeria as a key voice in shaping the future governance, research, and integration of traditional medicine into mainstream healthcare, promising to influence health outcomes both domestically and internationally for years to come.
