The National Industrial Research and Development Agency (NIRDA) is set to work with partners to restore endangered herbal medicinal plants and modernize herbal medicines. The production of herbal medicinal products could be carried out in the Huye Research Centre which has a life sciences laboratory and a botanical garden where more herbal medicinal plants will be planted. Recent research shows that over 700 medicinal plant species are in danger. Officials said the move seeks to valorize rich medicinal plant diversity, sustain local production of herbal medicinal products, and increase economic opportunities for the community. It also seeks to contribute to the research on medicinal plants for their safety, efficiency, and quality control. Also read: Inside Rwanda’s growing herbal medicine industry According to Dr. Christian Sekomo Birame, the Director General of NIRDA, the 3-year project scheduled to start in 2023 will ensure more herbal medicinal plants are high-quality and used as alternatives to modern medicine. “We want to valorize herbal medicine. We will first engage in the cultivation of herbal medicinal plants in our botanical garden and work with the community around,” he said. “We will then use our life sciences laboratory to produce herbal medicines and then transfer to the private sector for commercialization, we want those products to be modernized and be sold in pharmacies as they are known to be an alternative to modern medicine,” he added. He noted that the government will also commercialize already developed products while more research could be conducted on new ones. He further said that they will also work with other research institutions including academia to do more research to turn herbal medicinal plants into improved phytomedicines. Also read: Could traditional medicine become a viable industry? The industrial agency has announced a partnership with FXB-Rwanda to implement a Rwf250 million three-year Phyto Social Enterprise Project which seeks to increase the production of herbal medicinal products for local and regional consumption The partnership will also see companies involved in production of herbal medicine trained to embrace the implementation of Good Manufacturing (GPM) process and comply with national standards and have them registered and certified. “We intend to create more jobs,” he added. Herbal medicine still undeveloped Despite the role herbal medicine plays in treating several diseases as an alternative to modern medicine, it has remained less developed and in the hands of traditional healers. As a result, NIRDA said they don’t meet standards and are not certified or accepted both at the national and international markets. The producers are not aware of the properties of the active ingredients or how the doses should be adjusted according to the plant’s raw material used in the drug formulation processes, it said. According to health experts, herbal medicine or phytomedicine play a big role in the health sector development and in the treatment of several diseases as an alternative way to modern medicine. However, official figures indicate that Rwanda imported 98 per cent of medicines and spent nearly $100 million in 2019. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 88 per cent of all countries are estimated to use traditional medicine especially herbal medicines, acupuncture, yoga, indigenous therapies among others. Also read: Why traditional medicine needs support and preservation Besides, over 40 percent of pharmaceutical formulations are based on natural products and landmark drugs, including aspirin and artemisinin originated from traditional medicine according to WHO. WHO also says that the contribution of traditional medicine to the national health systems is not yet fully realized and traditional medicine workers' facilities, expenditures and products are not fully accounted for. Jean Damascene Ndayisaba, a representative of FXB-Rwanda who will also be involved in phytomedicine production, says they have committed to restoring and increasing herbal medicinal plants and turning them into quality products. “We want to make sure that the community learns how to cultivate medicinal plants in their gardens,” he added.
