The Pan-African Parliament (PAP) has resolved to spearhead the development of a continent-wide Model Law on Traditional Medicines and the Protection of Local Knowledge to strengthen the regulation, recognition and integration of traditional medicine into Africa’s health systems. The resolution was adopted by the Pan-African Parliament’s Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs, chaired by Ghanaian lawmaker Frank Annoh-Dompreh, during its sitting in Midrand, South Africa. The proposed law is intended to harmonise legal and regulatory frameworks across African Union member states.
It will guide countries in the development, regulation, protection and evidence-based integration of traditional medicine into national healthcare systems. The committee said the move recognises Africa’s rich heritage of traditional medicine and indigenous health knowledge, which remains a trusted source of healthcare for millions of people across the continent. However, it stressed the need for evidence-based integration, appropriate regulation, quality assurance and stronger collaboration between traditional and conventional health systems to improve health outcomes, particularly for mothers and newborns.
The resolution also acknowledged the role of traditional health practitioners, community health workers, midwives and local leaders in promoting maternal health, encouraging early care-seeking, supporting referrals and strengthening community participation in healthcare delivery. Pan-African Parliament’s Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs, chaired by Ghanaian lawmaker Frank Annoh-Dompreh The PAP said the proposed Model Law would harmonise traditional medicine governance across Africa while providing stronger legal protection for indigenous knowledge and improving access to quality maternal and neonatal healthcare services. Member states have been urged to strengthen legal and policy frameworks that support the safe development, regulation and integration of traditional medicine into national health systems.
The committee said this should include the accreditation of traditional health practitioners, quality assurance for traditional medicines, protection of indigenous knowledge systems and closer collaboration between conventional and traditional healthcare providers. The resolution also called on African Union member states to increase domestic investment in pr… African countries are set to accelerate the integration of traditional medicine into their national health systems as part of a continental push to reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
The move follows a resolution adopted by the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), which is seeking a continent-wide legal framework to regulate traditional medicine, protect indigenous knowledge and strengthen maternal and neonatal healthcare. The resolution, spearheaded by the Parliament’s Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs chaired by Ghanaian MP Frank Annoh-Dompreh, mandates the development of a Pan-African Model Law on Traditional Medicines and the Protection of Local Knowledge. The Parliament said Africa continues to bear a disproportionate burden of preventable maternal and neonatal deaths despite improvements in healthcare.
It warned that access to quality antenatal care, skilled delivery services, emergency obstetric care and newborn healthcare remains uneven, especially in rural, remote and underserved communities. PAP said resilient maternal and neonatal health systems are central to Africa’s broader health security agenda. It stressed that greater investment in primary healthcare, reproductive health and newborn services would improve preparedness, strengthen disease resilience and support sustainable development.
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