At China-West Africa Forum, TMPC’s Dr. Yakubu Tobor Yusuf Charts Pragmatic Path for AI in Herbal Medicine, Citing Drug Discovery and Regulatory Oversight
In a compelling address at the 2025 China-West Africa Forum on AI Integration in Traditional Medicine, Dr. (MH) Yakubu Tobor Yusuf, the Registrar of the Traditional Medicine Practice Council of Ghana, issued a direct challenge to practitioners: adapt with the times or risk being left behind.
Citing the adage “innovate or die,” Dr. Yusuf positioned artificial intelligence not as a threat to tradition, but as the most powerful tool available to advance, protect, and globally legitimize West Africa’s rich herbal heritage.
“We haven’t stuck 100% to how our forefathers used to diagnose diseases; we improved on some of the processes to make it better,” Dr. Yusuf stated, grounding his argument in the field’s long history of evolution. “AI is in the world today and everybody is talking about AI… you can invest in employing somebody with AI competencies in your facility. The reason why this is important is so that you can move together with the world as the world is advancing.”
From Pharmacopoeias to Formulations: A Practical Blueprint
Moving beyond abstract theory, Dr. Yusuf provided a clear, actionable blueprint for how AI can revolutionize the industry. He pointed to the well-established pharmacopoeias of the region—the Ghana Herbal Pharmacopoeia and the West African Pharmacopoeia—as the perfect foundational data for AI systems.
“Many of us have products that are five combinations, seven combinations, 21 combinations. AI can actually help you fine-tune the functions of these combinations,” he explained. “With the right prompt… AI can develop formulations for you for certain health conditions because these plants have been well researched.”
He emphasized that these AI-generated formulations would still undergo rigorous testing at institutions like the FDA and KNUST, ensuring they meet the highest standards of safety and efficacy.
The Regulator’s Vision: AI for Protection and Precision Monitoring
Speaking from his unique vantage point as the sector’s chief regulator, Dr. Yusuf highlighted AI’s potential to solve two critical challenges: the loss of indigenous knowledge and the difficulty of monitoring a diverse practitioner base.
“Certain plants exist today for which we have lost the purpose for what they are used. With AI we can put all of this together and it will restore [this knowledge] in perpetuity for generations to come,” he said, stressing the urgent need to protect intellectual property.
For regulation, he envisioned AI moving beyond a “one-size-fits-all” approach. By analyzing practitioner services, AI could help design highly specific Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programs. He cited the example of psychic healers in the Volta Region, whose unique practice requires tailored training, not generic seminars on topics irrelevant to their craft.
A Direct Appeal: “Feed the AI Our Knowledge”
Dr. Yusuf concluded with a direct and powerful appeal to the audience, demystifying AI technology and placing the responsibility for its success squarely in their hands.
“AI is a tool. It gives you what you put into it,” he stated. “Let’s make our knowledge available to be fed into the AI model so that when we query it, it will give answers based on our knowledge. Other than that, it will give you answers because it cannot produce what is not there.”
He called for necessary partnerships among practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and technology developers, urging them to “embrace this future with both enthusiasm and responsibility.”
His final words served as a mandate: to write the next chapter of traditional medicine with compassion, wisdom, and the cutting-edge tools of the modern age.
About the Traditional Medicine Practice Council:
The Traditional Medicine Practice Council is the statutory body established by Act 575 of the Parliament of Ghana to regulate the practice of traditional medicine in the country, ensuring standards, safety, and public health.
