Annoh-Dompreh Pushes For Legal Recognition Of Traditional Medicine

Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Chairman of PAP's Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs, championed resolutions adopted by the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) during the First Ordinary Session of the Seventh Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa. He argued that Africa could no longer afford to treat traditional medicine as a parallel health system. The resolutions call for a continental 'Model Law on Traditional Medicine and the Protection of Local Knowledge' to guide African Union (AU) Member States on research, licensing, quality assurance, and the ethical use of indigenous medicines.

Mr. Annoh-Dompreh stated that indigenous medicine should be integrated into mainstream healthcare through scientific research, clinical validation, standardisation, and effective regulation to improve healthcare delivery while safeguarding public safety. He noted that protecting Africa's indigenous medical knowledge was a public health necessity, an opportunity to preserve cultural heritage, stimulate scientific innovation, and unlock economic value from locally developed health products. Millions of people, particularly in rural communities, depend on herbal practitioners and traditional birth attendants as their first source of healthcare.