Let’s make herbal industry attractive for young people – NYA to herbal industry

Practitioners and stakeholders in herbal medicine have been urged to encourage and train young people to engage in the production of herbal medicine to sustain the industry.

Madam Fati Bamba, the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regional Director of the National Youth Authority (NYA) who gave the advice noted that most herbalists in the country were aging and the industry could collapse if it was not made attractive to the young people.

Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side-lines of a youth forum held in Sunyani, Mad Bamba noted that the nation’s herbal industry had huge potential for job creation and poverty reduction.

"Production of herbal medicine is another form of vocational training that could create employment for the youth", she added.

The forum was organised by the Sunyani Youth Development Association (SYDA) in collaboration with the Centre for Plant Medicine Research on the theme “expanding the horizon of youth employment, the role of the youth in herbal medicine".

Plant medicine, Madam Bamba noted should not be produced in secrecy, and called on practitioners to open up and train interested young people to take-over and ensure the sustainability of the industry.

Mr Joseph Kwabena Kumi, the Sunyani branch Chairman of the Ghana National Association of Traditional Healers, called on young people interested in the production of herbal medicine to contact the association for further guidelines.