Niger launches 24th African traditional medicine day
Health Minister Garba Hakimi urged traditional healers to collaborate with health facilities to improve care quality.
Niger's Minister of Health, Colonel-major Garba Hakimi, launched the 24th African Traditional Medicine Day in Niamey on October 27, 2026. The event, themed "Reflection on research and development efforts in traditional medicine for the implementation of universal health coverage in the African Region," aims to promote therapeutic heritage and preserve ancestral knowledge.
Minister Hakimi stressed the importance of traditional medicine as a local resource rooted in socio-cultural realities, passed down through generations. He called for strict adherence to quality standards, safe practices, raw material traceability, and scientific evaluation of therapeutic effects, urging traditional practitioners to work with health structures to enhance sector performance and patient safety.
Dr. Nikiema Jean-Baptiste, World Health Organization representative, noted the celebration commemorates a decision to promote traditional medicine within health systems. He highlighted the WHO's four priorities for traditional medicine's contribution to health: evidence-based research, knowledge documentation, regulation, and collaboration between traditional and conventional practitioners.
Why it mattersNiger's population, particularly those relying on traditional healers, will benefit from improved quality and safety of traditional medicine practices.