The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) disclosed that fewer than 15 per cent of more than 100,000 traditional medicine practitioners in Ghana are registered in its database. The council’s registrar, Dr (MH) Yakubu Tobor Yusuf, said the gap hampers regulatory oversight and highlighted the council’s recent efforts to bring practitioners under its purview.
Over the past six months, the TMPC has engaged practitioner associations at the district level and opened new regional and district offices to facilitate registration. Dr Yusuf announced these initiatives at a media launch marking the 2026 African Traditional Medicine Day in Accra.
The council has inspected over 500 traditional medicine premises nationwide, closing several that posed public health risks. “We found out that the numbers are mind-boggling. Over 100,000. Now the ones that we’ve worked with, I said we’ve visited over 500 premises,” Dr Yusuf said.
He urged the public to patronise only licensed practitioners and products that have undergone the required regulatory processes. Every licensed practice must display its licence, which includes a QR code for verification. “To the Ghanaian public: before you are treated, ask to see the licence. It must be displayed on the wall,” he said.
Dr Yusuf warned against practitioners marketing unregistered medicines on social media, noting that the council has tracked more than 500 such operators and will take action. He also highlighted collaboration with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to certify products that are stored, labelled or branded.
Practitioners operating without a licence face prosecution, with penalties of up to 500 penalty units (GH¢6,000), two years’ imprisonment or both. A practitioner in the Volta Region has already been arrested and is expected to appear before court for allegedly practising without a licence. “Practising without a licence, you could go to jail for two years,” Dr Yusuf warned.
Licences must be renewed annually, subject to continuous professional development, fee payment and re-inspection. The TMPC is also working to improve training for indigenous practitioners, reviewing a six‑month competency‑based curriculum that will be taught in local languages and consider years of experience.
Dr Yusuf called for greater investment in research, noting that about 70 per cent of Ghanaians rely on herbal and traditional medicine for primary healthcare. KNUST and Central University are leading studies on standardised herbal products for hypertension and pain relief, supported by German Technical Cooperation (GIZ) and PharmaVax.
With regulation and research underway, the TMPC aims to raise standards and protect public health while preserving Ghana’s rich traditional medicine heritage.
