Audrey Galawu- Assistant Editor
The 23rd edition of African Traditional Medicine Day was commemorated on August 31, 2025, under the theme “Strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine.”
The occasion, spearheaded by PROMETRA International in collaboration with the World Health Organisation Africa Region, highlighted both the resilience and challenges of indigenous healing practices on the continent.
PROMETRA International emphasized that African medicine is deeply rooted in the continent’s history and humanity itself. “Traditional African medicine, and more precisely, African medicine, is as old as humanity, as old as pain.
It has evolved over millennia, through encounters, exchanges, and practices, into a true art: the art of healing,” the address read.
Speakers warned that colonialism, modernisation, and the rise of technology have eroded indigenous knowledge systems.
“In our continent, we are witnessing the gradual disappearance of our healers, and the degradation of their knowledge, their knowing, their expertise, and their practice.
"This is an even more pressing reason to consider the study of the revival of this medicine … as a pressing and essential task,” the statement noted.
Despite widespread reliance on modern healthcare systems, the WHO estimates that up to 85 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa turn to traditional medicine.
“This observation by the WHO itself is enough to accept the evidence that this medicine covers almost all of the health problems on our continent,” the address said, questioning why it remains marginalized in many national health systems.
PROMETRA International further revealed that it has conducted decades of research with leading global institutions, yielding significant outcomes.
“This collaborative research has also resulted in more than thirty patents … mostly concerning diseases considered incurable by modern medicine, but also certain conditions for which conventional medicine has limited effectiveness,” the statement announced.
A major breakthrough was also disclosed during the commemoration: “PROMETRA International is honored to inform you that this collaborative research has enabled us to discover a molecule, a new chemical formula that no one has discovered before.
This molecule remains a revolution for the medicine of the future.”
The event concluded with a call to safeguard Africa’s healing heritage: “I invite you to celebrate this medicine with honor, pride, and dignity and ensure its sustainability.
"May the spirits of our ancestors protect you … and may peace, the peace found in our sacred forests throughout Africa, always be with you.”
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