Bulawayo, (New Ziana)-Stakeholders in the health and environment sectors should collaborate with tertiary institutions in developing indigenous medicines to provide citizens with alternative healthcare solutions, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Speaking during a stakeholder engagement meeting on the biodiversity economy and marketing indigenous medicinal plants globally, in the second largest city, Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife Sithembiso Nyoni highlighted the importance of utilising local resources for the benefit of citizens.
“We are developing a biodiversity economy and marketing our own indigenous plants, especially medicinal plants. People are stealing and selling them back to us as tablets, and we don’t know what they add in there,” she said.
She emphasized the need for partnerships with universities to ensure the development and processing of indigenous medicinal plants locally.
“Let us partner with our universities to develop these plants for our benefit, rather than having others poach them and sell them back to us in forms we cannot verify. With our universities, we can establish our own standards that we trust,” she added.
“We should not shy away from our own indigenous medicines because they have no side effects, and we can pass this knowledge on to the next generations.”
Nyoni also called for vigilance in protecting Zimbabwe’s rich biodiversity from exploitation.
“Plants are being exported, but privately. For instance, we receive reports of people from overseas camping in Binga forests, extracting knowledge from local people about certain trees and how to grow specific plants.
“We implore our traditional leaders to help us protect our indigenous trees because Zimbabwe is very rich,” said Nyoni.
The government is strengthening the role of alternative medicine in mainstream healthcare to promote universal health coverage and achieve sustainable development goals.
Advancements in modern technology have made it possible to analyse the pharmacology and mechanisms of traditional herbs, ensuring they meet modern medical standards.
By integrating traditional medicine into healthcare, the government aims to safeguard local knowledge, protect biodiversity, and provide sustainable health solutions for generations to come.
New Ziana