The Lagos and Ogun State governments are exploring stronger institutional collaboration to improve the regulation of traditional medicine, promote safe healthcare practices and preserve indigenous medical knowledge.
The proposed partnership emerged during a working visit by a delegation of the Ogun State Alternative Medicine Board to the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, aimed at understudying Lagos’ regulatory framework, administrative structure and strategies for effective traditional medicine management.
Receiving the delegation on Lagos Island, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State
Traditional Medicine Board, Babatunde Adele, expressed the agency’s readiness to share its experience and expertise with its Ogun counterpart to strengthen regulatory practices and promote professionalism in the sector.
Adele disclosed that the Board, established in 1980, had registered 9,645 active traditional medicine practitioners, noting that its responsibilities extended beyond registration to include professional development, monitoring and the promotion of responsible healthcare practices.
He explained that the Board had introduced regular training programmes and a code of conduct for practitioners to improve professional standards, strengthen accountability and curb the activities of unregulated operators.
According to him, the agency is also implementing institutional and infrastructural initiatives designed to reposition traditional medicine through research, documentation, standardisation and improved service delivery.
He listed some of the initiatives to include the establishment of a botanical garden in Epe, plans to establish additional traditional medicine clinics and laboratories, as well as the creation of zonal offices to bring regulatory services closer to practitioners and members of the public.
Adele reaffirmed the Board’s commitment to modernising and protecting traditional medicine through research, strategic partnerships and effective regulatory mechanisms.
He stressed the need to preserve indigenous medical knowledge while ensuring that traditional medicine practice conforms to acceptable standards of safety, professionalism and accountability.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary and Registrar of the Ogun State Alternative Medicine Board, Dr Charles Erinle, commended the Lagos Board for its institutional achievements and regulatory initiatives.
Erinle explained that the visit was intended to give his team first-hand knowledge of Lagos’ operational structure, administrative processes and regulatory strategies, which could serve as useful models for strengthening alternative medicine administration in Ogun State.
He said the delegation was particularly interested in gaining practical insights, identifying areas of mutual cooperation and adopting proven approaches that could improve the regulation and development of traditional medicine in the state.
Also speaking, a former member of the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board and Chief Executive Officer/Director of Royal Holistic College of Traditional Medicine, Lagos, Dr Tajudeen Olusesi, commended the Board for creating an enabling environment for the development of organised traditional medicine practice.
Olusesi observed that the Board had encouraged the establishment of model institutions and service centres, including traditional medicine training institutions, clinics, botanical gardens, herbal centres and drug manufacturing facilities.
He further explained that the introduction of a data management system, alongside the registration and periodic renewal of practitioners’ licences, had become an important mechanism for identifying genuinely active practitioners and addressing the challenge of inactive registrations.
According to him, the initiative would strengthen the Board’s database, improve regulatory oversight and provide a more reliable framework for monitoring practitioners across the sector.
In her vote of thanks, a member of the Ogun State delegation, Mrs Adu Olufunke, appreciated the management and staff of the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board for their hospitality, openness and willingness to share valuable institutional experience.
She said the delegation was impressed by the presentations and operational insights received during the visit, adding that the knowledge acquired would be useful in strengthening the regulatory activities of the Ogun Board.
Olufunke assured the host institution that the delegation would put the lessons learnt into practice, while expressing optimism that the engagement would translate into sustained cooperation between the two states.
The proposed collaboration is expected to create opportunities for both institutions to exchange regulatory expertise, strengthen professional standards and promote a more organised traditional medicine sector.
The engagement also underscores the growing importance of credible regulation, scientific research, proper documentation and effective public health safeguards in developing traditional medicine while preserving valuable indigenous medical knowledge.
