By Christopher Tetteh, Sunyani
February 04, 2021
A forum to analyse and discuss the potentials and contributions of the herbal medicinal industry as employment avenue to facilitate speedy national development was held in Sunyani.
It was Organized by the Sunyani Youth Development Association (SYDA) on the theme “Expanding the horizon of youth employment, the role of the youth in herbal medicine”.
The forum was the first of it kind in the region and would be annual event for shaping the plant Medicine industry to create a value chain socioeconomic living opportunities for the youth.
Participants were officials from the Food and Drugs Authority, the National Youth Authority, chiefs, Persons With Disabilities and the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association.
Others included Youth associations, hairdressers, official from the Centre for National Culture, Mechanics, the Clergy, Imams, Practicing nurses and individuals.
The forum was also to make participants understand the need for herbal medicine practitioners to ensure their plant medicinal products were researched, certified, approved and authenticated as national assets.
Dr. Kofi Bobi Barima, the acting Executive Director at the Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Mampong, in the Eastern Region who was the guest speaker lauded the organisers of the program, saying, herbal medicine practices is a vocational training program that prepares participants of the field to excel.
Dr. Barima, also Board member of the Food and Drugs Authority, and Serving on the Traditional Medicine Practice Council noted that herbal medicine practices is a lucrative avenue to create a wider range value chain employment opportunities for the nation.
He outlined that cultivation of the plants, harvesting the raw materials, products manufacturing, communication, marketing and distribution as well as clinical care were some areas of job creation for many youth.
According to him, the demand for plant Medicine made neccessary the cultivation of plants such as moringa, khaya, mango, mahogany and several other plants and herbs which could absorb more youth.
Mr. Atta Akoto, President of SYDA emphasized the need for youth to develop greater interest in herbal medicine practices and other vocational or artisanship training.
He said it is another means the nation can address the issue of youth unemployment which was a disastrous canker in the country.
As government encourages youth in agriculture, the contribution of youth in herbal medicine could play a significant role in containing the nation’s unemployment situation, he stated.
Mr. Akoto said SYDA is an Association committed to creating economic and self dependent opportunities to the vulnerable, orphans and other individuals who through their activities may become threat to society and national peace.
By so doing, the physical and psychological energy of such youth would be use resourcefully in all endeavours, he noted.
SYDA