13/12/2025
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry, in collaboration with UNDP and the National University of Lesotho (NUL), led the commemoration of African Traditional Medicine Day on 10 December 2025. African Traditional Medicine Day was declared and adopted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 31 August 2002 in recognition of the crucial role that traditional medicine plays in promoting the health and well-being of people across the African continent and beyond.
This year, Lesotho commemorated its second anniversary of African Traditional Medicine Day under the theme “Strengthen the Evidence Base for Traditional Medicine.” The theme underscored the importance of research, documentation, innovation, and the promotion of safe and effective traditional healthcare practices.
The event brought together a wide range of key stakeholders, including Members of Parliament, Government Ministries, Development Partners, Academia, Legal Practitioners, Integrative Medicine Practitioners, Traditional Healers, Herbalists, Initiators, Associations operating within the traditional medicine sector, and civil society organisations.
The commemoration aimed to provide a platform to achieve the following key objectives:
Recognise the importance and significance of traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge, while facilitating knowledge sharing and skills transfer.
Promote the safe and effective use of traditional medicine through the regulation of products, practices, and practitioners.
Create awareness and disseminate information on the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants, which are increasingly threatened by over-harvesting and uncontrolled use, particularly in traditional medicine. This objective is supported through the newly established project titled “Promoting Conservation, Sustainable Utilisation and Fair and Equitable Benefit-Sharing from Lesotho’s Medicinal Plants for Improved Livelihoods”, commonly referred to as the ABS Project. The project is implemented by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry in partnership with UNDP and aims to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants, as well as the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from them.
The event commenced with a health walk from UN House to the Ministry of Health Quarters, where the main deliberations were held. It was characterised by informative presentations and insightful discussions among stakeholders.
The presentations focused on the following key thematic areas:
*Legal and policy frameworks governing traditional medicine
*Conservation and sustainable harvesting of medicinal plants
*Strengthening safety, quality, and evidence-based practices in traditional healthcare
A key takeaway from the dialogue was the need for stakeholders to reorganise and align their actions with existing legal frameworks, while simultaneously advocating for pertinent issues to be elevated to the policy level.
Project
# Traditional Medicine
