Accra: The Health Community of West Africa (HCOWA), a Ghana-based Chinese private firm, and its local partners, have launched a think tank to advance the development of traditional medicine practice in West Africa. The think tank, named the West African Traditional Medicine Cooperation and Exchange Center (WATMCEC), is a collaboration between various traditional medicine institutions in West African countries, Ghana's Traditional and Alternative Medicine Directorate (TAMD), HCOWA, and the Chinese medical team in Ghana.
According to Ghana News Agency, Anastasia Yirenkyi, director of TAMD at the Ministry of Health, and Hao Linduan, a member of the 14th Chinese medical team in Ghana, serve as the co-executive chairpersons of the center. Yirenkyi emphasized the need for cooperation between indigenous practitioners, researchers, academia, policymakers, and health sector players to ensure that traditional medicine products are safe, of high quality, efficacious, accessible, and affordable.
Hao Linduan highlighted that the practice of traditional medicine in Ghana and West Africa has been acknowledged by the World Health Organization as a valuable resource for meeting health challenges. However, Hao noted that traditional medicine faces many challenges in modern societies, such as a lack of systematic research, promotion, and insufficient exchange with other medical systems. The establishment of WATMCEC aims to address these issues effectively.
