The Chairman of the Pan-African Parliament Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has presented a far-reaching report and sponsored a landmark resolution calling for the development of a continental Model Law on traditional medicine and the protection of local knowledge.
This is seen as a bold push to formally integrate African traditional medicine into national healthcare systems, igniting fresh debate across the continent on the need to give attention to traditional medicine.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh who is also Ghana’s Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, argued that Africa can no longer afford to neglect a healthcare system that continues to serve millions of people, particularly those in rural and underserved communities.
He maintained that traditional medicine should no longer be treated as an alternative to conventional healthcare, but rather be safely integrated into national health systems through scientific research, regulation, quality assurance, and legislation.
The proposal, presented during the First Ordinary Session of the Seventh Parliament of the Pan-African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa, comes at a time when many African countries are seeking solutions to persistent maternal and neonatal deaths, limited access to healthcare and growing calls for Africa to strengthen its health sovereignty following the COVID-19 pandemic and other public health emergencies.
Oversight mission To Zambia
The recommendations emerged from a joint Parliamentary Oversight Mission undertaken by the Pan-African Parliament Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Regional Office in Lusaka, Zambia, from December 3 to 6, 2025.
The mission formed part of the Pan-African Parliament’s oversight responsibility to monitor the implementation of African Union health policies, Agenda 2063, the African Union Health Strategy (2016–2030), the Continental Framework for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, the Maputo Plan of Action and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3, which seeks to ensure healthy lives and well-being for all.
During the mission, the delegation held extensive consultations with Zambia’s Minister of Health, senior government officials, Africa CDC experts, Members of the National Assembly of Zambia, development partners, healthcare professionals, community health workers and traditional health stakeholders.
Africa still bears greatest burden
Presenting the report, Mr Annoh-Dompreh noted that despite progress made across several African countries, the continent still accounts for approximately 70 per cent of global maternal deaths and more than 40 per cent of neonatal deaths, with most of these deaths resulting from preventable causes.
Although Zambia has significantly reduced maternal mortality through increased investment in primary healthcare, improved skilled birth attendance and expanded maternal health programmes, the Committee observed that shortages of health professionals, poor infrastructure, inadequate referral systems, recurrent shortages of essential medicines, unreliable electricity supply, adolescent pregnancies and inadequate financing continue to undermine healthcare delivery, particularly in rural communities.
The Committee therefore concluded that African governments must accelerate reforms if they are to meet the Sustainable Development Goal target of reducing maternal mortality to fewer than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Traditional Medicine Takes Centre Stage
One of the most significant outcomes of the oversight mission was the Committee’s focus on the role of traditional medicine in strengthening maternal and neonatal healthcare.
According to the report, traditional birth attendants and herbal practitioners remain te first point of healthcare for millions of Africans, especially women living in remote communities where access to hospitals and qualified medical personnel remains limited.
Rather than dismissing indigenous healthcare practices, the Committee concluded that African governments should establish legal and regulatory frameworks that promote scientific research, clinical validation, product standardisation, licensing, quality assurance and the protection of indigenous knowledge.
Mr Annoh-Dompreh told Parliament that preserving Africa’s indigenous medical knowledge is not only a healthcare issue but also one of cultural preservation, scientific innovation and economic development.
He therefore urged the Pan-African Parliament to prioritise the development of a Pan-African Model Law on Traditional Medicine and Protection of Local Knowledge to harmonise legal frameworks across Member States.
Health sovereignty at the heart of the debate
The report also highlighted what Africa CDC describes as Africa’s quest for Health Sovereignty.
Lessons from COVID-19, Ebola, Mpox, Marburg Virus Disease,e and other outbreaks have exposed Africa’s dependence on external funding, imported medicines, vaccines, pharmaceutical products,s and international supply chains.
The Committee endorsed Africa CDC’s growing investments in vaccine research, local pharmaceutical manufacturing, digital disease surveillance systems and African-led scientific innovation, describing them as critical steps toward reducing dependence on foreign health systems.
The report stressed that Universal Health Coverage cannot be achieved unless Africa strengthens its capacity to finance, manufacture and manage its own health systems.
Landmark resolutions adopted
Following deliberations, the Pan-African Parliament adopted a series of resolutions aimed at strengthening healthcare across Africa.
Among the key decisions was a directive urging Member States to increase domestic investment in primary healthcare, strengthen maternal and neonatal services, recruit more health professionals, improve emergency obstetric care, expand digital health systems and strengthen medical supply chains.
The Parliament further called on Member States to establish robust legal frameworks governing traditional medicine, including the accreditation of traditional practitioners, scientific validation of herbal medicines, protection of indigenous knowledge and collaboration between traditional and conventional healthcare providers.
The resolutions also mandate the Committee on Health, Labour and Social Affairs to continue working with the Africa CDC, the African Medicines Agency and other stakeholders to develop a continental Model Law on Traditional Medicine that will guide Member States in regulating research, licensing, manufacturing, commercialisation and the ethical use of traditional medicines.
Strengthening Africa’s health security
Beyond maternal health, the Pan-African Parliament also adopted a separate resolution on Strengthening Health Security and Sovereignty in Africa.
The resolution calls on African Union Member States to domesticate Africa CDC frameworks on biosafety, biosecurity, pandemic preparedness, data governance, local manufacturing of health products and cross-border disease surveillance.
It also urges governments to honour the Abuja Declaration by allocating at least 15 per cent of national budgets to the health sector, strengthen public health emergency financing and accelerate ratification of the African Medicines Agency Treaty to improve regulatory sovereignty across the continent.
A new direction for African healthcare
The resolutions mark one of the Pan-African Parliament’s most comprehensive attempts in recent years to reshape Africa’s healthcare landscape by combining modern medicine with scientifically regulated traditional medicine while strengthening health security, legislative harmonisation and local ownership of healthcare systems.
By Collins Adu-Gyamfi
