Dr. Adeleke Mamora, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, has said that the development of traditional medicine is key to affordable drugs in Nigeria.

Mamora stated this in Lagos during his familiarisation visit to the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, NNMDA.

He underscored the need for the development of traditional medicine to ensure alternative, safe and affordable drugs for Nigerians in the treatment of various health challenges in the country.

He acknowledged that the traditional medicine though unrefined, addressed the issues of health challenges of Nigerian forefathers.

He added that the establishment of medical plant market where original plants and seeds can be made available for professionals to process and produce drugs would effectively support the Federal Government's quest for the provision of adequate drugs in the health care industry.

While calling on the Agency to be more committed towards achieving health for all through traditional and alternative medicine, he charged the management to protect the intellectual property of the scientists to forestall their products being pirated by some unscrupulous elements.

The Minister commended the Agency on its achievement of constructing office blocks, establishment of various laboratories, experimental pesticide plant farms in the six geopolitical zones of the country despite paucity of funds.

He assured that the Federal Government would improve their budgetary allocation for enhanced performance.

He, however, urged the Agency not to solely depend on government funding, adding that they should collaborate with other organisations as well as commercialise its products to scale up their Internally Generated Revenue.

He stressed the need for unity of purpose in the organisation, noting that the Agency would not have achieved the feat without team spirit.

He therefore, enjoined the management and the staff to continue to work as a team to fulfil the desired goals and aspirations of the entire nation.

Earlier, the Director-General of the (NNMDA) Dr. Samuel Oghene Etatuvie, said the Agency has made giant strides in the areas of research, promotion of cultivation of medicinal aromatic and raw materials, among others.

Etatuvie further said NNMDA has produced standard, affordable and safe medicines used in the treatment of hypertension, glaucoma and live-stock tick disease, adding that these products have been sent to NAFDAC for proper processing necessary for final production, packaging and consumption.

He lamented that poor funding has retarded the progress of processing strategic equipment, proper training and retraining of officers, expansion of Research and Innovation (R&I) and appealed to the minister to intervene in improving the funding of the Agency.