Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa, Director of AMITD, says they put four products forward and after a rigorous selection process, their indigenous health teas products and PHELA (an immune reconstitution now repurposed for COVID-19 and long COVID), were selected. The criteria for selection, he says, included different stages of technical reviews and now have successfully advanced to the final Stage 2 technical review, which involved a rigorous scientific review, innovativeness, ease of access to market and investability, and a blinded assessment by external subject-matter experts. The WHO will also provide support to the 21 innovators to be part of an accelerator programme to upscale their impact.
Attracting investments
Prof Matsabisa, renowned African Traditional Medicine research expert, is the co-chairperson of the summit steering committee for the 2nd WHO Traditional Medicines Global Summit taking place from 17-19 December 2025 in New Delhi.
“These products will be exhibited at the summit with the aim of attracting investment for commercialisation. All the products on show are endorsed by the WHO for their scientific rigour. Our products also address the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2025-2034 for strengthening scientific base and evidence for traditional medicines to support safety, efficacy and integration by developing international standards and regulatory frameworks to ensure traditional medicine products are safe and effective.
“The strategy also ensures inclusive research and participation of communities in all initiatives of research and development. It is a good feeling to know that our research on traditional medicines is globally competitive and is recognised. It is encouraging that South African and African traditional medicines research can compete globally and make it to the top,” says Prof Matsabisa.
Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at UFS, says the WHO’s endorsement underscores the global relevance of evidence-based African traditional medicine research and its capacity to inform international health innovation frameworks.
“Our participation at the WHO summit reflects the university’s commitment to advancing translational research that bridges indigenous knowledge systems and global scientific standards. Through rigorous methodologies and collaborative engagement we are contributing to a paradigm where traditional medicine is validated, integrated, and trusted within global health systems,” Prof Reddy emphasises.
With AMITD currently at advanced stages of establishing a sister unit – WHO cGMP manufacturing facility – to commercialise its research products, Prof Matsabisa hopes the exhibition of their products at the summit will raise investment support to the pharmaceutical company, get investors interested in the products and that these products can be seen on pharmacy shelves globally.
“The products are endorsed by WHO and therefore it would stand out from the pack in the natural products market. These products will come out as products that people and products consumers and patients can rely on and trust.”
Four staff members from AMITD will join Prof Matsabisa at the summit, including Joyce Phindela, who will put up the exhibition, Drs Innocensia Mangoato and Jacqueline Manjia Njikam, who are part of the AMITD WHO global Traditional Medicines project, and Prof Mamza Mothibe, who is part of the AMITD project from Rhodes University.
Highest levels of recognition
According to Prof Matsabisa, the first Summit put AMITD on the global stage when the platform was invited to represent the African continent and partner with the African Union (AU). Now with AMITD products being recognised by experts and WHO, it seals the platform’s vision to become a global player in research and pharmacology of traditional medicines.
“This is one of the highest levels of recognition of scientific excellence for us. The recognition means that AMITD is on the right track to implement on a global priority setting, including those of the current traditional medicines strategy.
“The work of AMITD is relevant to the strategic objectives of the WHO strategy because the four pillars of the strategy which AMITD is already implementing include; strengthening the evidence base for Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCIM), supporting the provision of safe and effective TCIM through appropriate regulatory mechanisms, integrating safe and effective TCIM into health systems and optimising the cross-sector value of TCIM and empowering communities,” explains Prof Matsabisa.
“This milestone affirms our strategic vision to position South African scholarship as a catalyst for innovation and sustainable health solutions on the world stage,” concludes Prof Reddy.
- AMITD’s products and services were also on display at an exhibition during the first Traditional Medicine Global Summit in 2023 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat India.