Prof. Motlalepula Matsabisa, a distinguished expert in African Traditional Medicine and pharmacology researcher at the University of the Free State (UFS), has recently been elected as co-chairperson of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Traditional Medicine Summit steering committee. Alongside Dr. Goh Cheng Soon from Malaysia, Prof. Matsabisa will lead the committee, which is tasked with organizing the upcoming summit scheduled for later this year in New Delhi, India.
The one-year steering committee comprises 15 members from diverse countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania. Its primary role is to advise the WHO on the summit’s program, recommend session topics and speakers, and help shape the exhibition showcasing traditional medicine practices worldwide.
Prof. Matsabisa, who is also the Director of the African Medicines Innovations and Technologies Development (AMITD) platform at UFS, currently chairs the WHO Africa Regional Expert Advisory Committee on Traditional Medicine (REACT). His appointment as co-chair signifies a global recognition of his leadership in traditional medicine.
Expressing his honor at the new responsibility, Prof. Matsabisa emphasized that he now chairs a worldwide group of experts from all six WHO regions, including Africa, the Americas, Eastern Mediterranean, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Western Pacific. The committee will collaborate with WHO to develop the summit’s agenda, organize sessions around global health priorities, and highlight traditional medicine’s role in achieving universal health coverage, sustainable development, and health resilience.
The summit’s theme, “Restoring balance for people and planet: The science and practice of health and well-being,” aims to attract approximately 6,000 attendees, with 1,000 in-person and 5,000 online participants. The event will build on the 2023 Gujarat Declaration, focusing on leadership, research, evidence, biodiversity, and sustainable practices in traditional medicine.
Prof. Matsabisa sees this role as an opportunity to further promote UFS’s AMITD program on a global stage, attract new collaborators and funding, and foster innovations in traditional medicine. He plans to serve as a vital link between WHO headquarters in Geneva and the committee, ensuring the summit’s success.