In Dakar, the workshop to present the findings of the RDIF task force's benchmarking missions on herbal medicines, which opened this Monday and is scheduled to run until Wednesday, February 25, 2026, marks a new stage in Senegal's pharmaceutical sovereignty strategy. The meeting aims to define concrete mechanisms to facilitate, support, and evaluate the implementation of projects and reforms designed to revitalize the local pharmaceutical industry through the development of medicinal plants and the structuring of the national pharmacopoeia.

The workshop, the result of work initiated by the Project Management Unit for the revival of the pharmaceutical industry, which conducted study missions in Indonesia, India and Burkina Faso, is part of a logic of learning and adapting international best practices.

As a technical and financial partner in the process, the Belgian cooperation agency Enabel supports the structuring of initiatives and the capitalization of experiences from these missions.

For Dr. Mor Diagne, technical advisor to the Minister of Health in charge of pharmacy, these missions represent a strategic time saving. "We're not reinventing the wheel," he emphasizes, noting that "there have been many advances in traditional medicine and pharmacopoeia around the world."

The main challenge, he explains, is to identify "the best practices that are best suited to our environment".

According to him, these experiences will be very beneficial, as they will allow for the adaptation and implementation of relevant solutions within a framework of local ownership.

"It will not be a question of copying, but of adapting to tropical conditions."

He also mentions a strong political will to organize traditional medicine and recalls that the country already has "about 17 projects in development" to produce quality, effective and safe traditional medicines.

The official believes that the pharmacopoeia can become a major lever for industrial recovery, complementing the protection of the local market, opening up to regional spaces such as ECOWAS and strengthening research and development while contributing to the fight against non-communicable diseases.

Speaking at the event, World Health Organization representative Guy Njambong placed the initiative within a global movement to recognize traditional medicine.

"Improving public health is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals," he noted, emphasizing that "many states now have dedicated policies, laws and programs."

He also stressed the international dynamic marked by strategies aimed at quality, safety and integration in health systems, as well as the African reality where "around 80% of the population uses traditional medicine as their first option for care".

According to the WHO representative, the challenge for Senegal is to "accelerate alignment with the global strategy, strengthen local research and production and consolidate regulation and surveillance".

Welcoming the initiative, Guy Njambong said that the country "can become a continental showcase for the safe, effective and equitable integration of traditional medicine".

In a country where these practices remain deeply ingrained in healthcare habits, this meeting confirms the Senegalese authorities' commitment to bridging the gap between traditional knowledge and modern scientific requirements. The anticipated progress should improve access to appropriate and affordable treatments while strengthening Senegal's position within the African pharmaceutical innovation and production ecosystem.